Air bubbles are a very common issue for microfluidic experiments. The task to avoid air bubbles in the microfluidic device can be quite a difficult process. Moreover, they can be really detrimental for the experiment.
For more information about the cause of air bubbles and the issues they can create, check our dedicated review. But here, this application note will focus on two methods allowing you to remove air bubbles from your experiments.
OB1 MK3+ Flow controller
Sample reservoirs
Tubing
Fittings
Microfluidic device
Microfluidic bubble trap
When filling your microfluidic device with fluid, air bubbles are almost inevitable. These air bubbles can be difficult to detach, especially with complex chip designs. Moreover, air bubbles can appear during the experiment. Indeed, temperature changes, for example, can result in the formation of air bubbles.
In most cases, a smart use of your flow control system can help you to remove or avoid air bubbles. In the following examples, we will see how to use the OB1 MK3+ pressure controller to remove air bubbles.
In order to remove air bubbles trapped inside your microfluidic device, one of the easiest methods is to apply pressure pulses to detach them. The Elveflow Smart Interface software has pressure patterns already integrated. You can use a square pattern in order to create pressure pulses.
The frequency and amplitude can be adjusted for a better result to avoid air bubbles.
To best fit your needs, Elveflow developed three different types of bubble traps, with different sizes and therefore different internal volumes. It allows to choose the best trade of between an optimal air bubble absorption and a low dead volume in a range suited for microfluidics applications. You can see all the characteristics on the attached graph and on the product datasheet. Don’t hesitate to ask our expert for advice!
Another solution to remove the air bubbles trapped inside your chip is to pressurize both the inlet and outlet of the chip. This high pressure applied to the bubbles will enable a faster dissolution of the air inside the liquid. This technique will be more efficient with porous chips, such as PDMS devices, since the air will go through the porous material.
The setup used to dissolve air bubbles inside the chip is presented in the following scheme:
Air traps use a membrane permeable to gas and not permeable to aqueous liquids in order to remove air bubbles from your experiments. This kind of bubble trap can be placed in line, just before the chip, removing all the bubbles which could be inserted in the fluidic path before, during a change of sample for example.
This bubble trap can be used in two modes: a passive mode, and an active mode where a vacuum line can be added. In this second mode, a vacuum outlet of a pressure generator, such as the OB1 MK3, can be used to maximize the bubble trap’s efficiency. This bubble trap enables to achieve a 100% debubbling for a flow up to 60ml/min.
The following video shows the in line bubble removing performed with the bubble trap in passive mode.
You’ve got issues with your flow control system, such as instabilities or lack or responsiveness? Or you want to know more about pressure-driven flow control? Check our dedicated application note.
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