Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Thermally-actuated, phase change flow control for microfluidic systems.

Zongyuan Chen1, Jing Wang, Shizhi Qian

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315, USA.

Lab on a Chip
|October 20, 2005
PubMed
Summary

A novel phase change valve offers noninvasive, thermally-actuated flow control in microfluidic devices. This biocompatible valve uses liquid freezing and melting, ideal for point-of-care diagnostics and polymerase chain reaction applications.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

An inexpensive, portable, refrigeration-free, ready-to-use microfluidic device for real-time multiplexed molecular detection of HIV, HBV, and HCV.

Biomedical microdevices·2026
Same author

GravSorter: a forward-genetics tool for studying gravity response in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>.

The Analyst·2026
Same author

Smartphone-Linked and Electricity-Free Platforms for Rapid Colorimetric Molecular Detection of Poultry Respiratory Viruses at the Point of Need.

Biosensors·2025
Same author

A self-heating, multi-channel slider cassette for innovative point-of-care molecular diagnostics from whole blood samples.

Biosensors & bioelectronics·2025
Same author

Polymeric microbead arrays for microfluidic applications.

Journal of micromechanics and microengineering : structures, devices, and systems·2025
Same author

Self-actuated microfluidic chiplet for two-stage multiplex nucleic acid amplification assay.

Lab on a chip·2024

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Microfluidics
  • Thermal Actuation

Background:

  • Microfluidic devices require precise flow control for diagnostic applications.
  • Existing methods often involve complex mechanisms or invasive components.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce a novel, noninvasive, thermally-actuated phase change valve for microfluidic flow control.
  • To demonstrate the valve's utility in point-of-care diagnostic systems and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) applications.

Main Methods:

  • Development and modeling of a phase change valve utilizing the liquid's phase transition (freezing/melting).
  • Experimental construction and characterization of the valve.
  • Integration and testing of the valve in various microfluidic functions.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Experimental results show favorable agreement with theoretical predictions for valve performance.
  • Demonstrated successful application in flow control, sample metering, distribution, PCR chamber sealing, and closed-loop sample handling.
  • The valve operates electronically, without moving parts, and is leakage-free, contamination-free, and biocompatible.

Conclusions:

  • The phase change valve provides an effective, easy-to-implement solution for noninvasive flow control in microfluidics.
  • This technology is suitable for miniaturized diagnostic systems, offering advantages in simplicity, reliability, and biocompatibility.