Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Magnetic connectors for microfluidic applications

Published

Author(s)

Francisco J. Atencia, Gregory A. Cooksey, Andreas Jahn, Justin M. Zook, Wyatt N. Vreeland, Laurie E. Locascio

Abstract

We present a new type of connector based on a simple idea: using a ring magnet on one side of the microfluidic chip and a disc magnet on the other side to provide the interfacial force necessary to provide a sealed connection between tubing or needles and the inlets and outlets of microfluidic devices. The connectors are low-cost, simple to use and assemble, and reusable. We discuss optimization of the geometry based on FEM (Finite Element Method) simulations and provide some simple rules to choose commercially available magnets for a given application. Configurations that achieve interfacial forces in the range of 2 N to 15 N are discussed. Several types of gasket materials were explored, and a configuration that is simple to fabricate is presented for research environments. Finally, we demonstrate an application of these connectors in a microfluidic device used to generate liposomes.
Citation
Lab on A Chip
Volume
10
Issue
2

Citation

Atencia, F. , Cooksey, G. , Jahn, A. , Zook, J. , Vreeland, W. and Locascio, L. (2010), Magnetic connectors for microfluidic applications, Lab on A Chip, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=903395 (Accessed October 12, 2024)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created January 1, 2010, Updated February 19, 2017