Microfluidic flow-free generation of chemical concentration gradients

This paper presents a class of novel microfluidic concentration gradient generation (CGG) devices that create temporally stable chemical concentration gradients with complex shapes in a flow-free environment. The devices feature a two-layer channel design and the incorporation of a semipermeable membrane, which effectively segregates the concentration gradient region in the lower layer from the flow of reagent sample (simply "sample" onward) and buffer in the upper layer. In the mean time, free diffusion across the membrane constantly replenishes sample and buffer to maintain a stable concentration. The shapes of the concentration gradients are controlled by the geometries of the micro-channels and chambers. Concentration gradients with complex shapes can be achieved by piecewise combining constituent gradients with elementary shapes. Capable of generating concentration gradients in a flow-free environment, our devices eliminate undesirable flow stimulation on biological cells under investigation, while maintaining a stable chemical environment for cell studies.