Flow Controller For Electrospray

Cutting-edge microfluidic flow controller for particle trapping

Particle trapping is an emerging field of research in microfluidics that involves immobilizing objects such as bubbles, droplets, or small molecules to observe and analyze their behavior under specific conditions (heating, external stimuli, …). To immobilize these objects, multiple microfluidic channels are designed to intersect. Depending on the geometry, two or more streams of fluid flow toward each other, and when they meet at an intersection, they create a region of low pressure where particles can be trapped and held in place generating a Stokes trap. By finely controlling the flow rate and the pressure applied in each channel, the particle position and stability can be fully controlled. To do so, feedback loops are necessary to constantly adapt the flow and the pressure according to the movement of the particle. Hence, accurate and fast pressure control are crucial parameters to ensure successful trapping. Our OB1 MK4 flow controller, with a number of pressure outlets corresponding to the Stokes trap, can be used to generate and control liquid flows to immobilize your element of interest. Please contact our team of experts to determine the best configuration for your setup.

Customizable & upgradable solution depending on your Stokes trap

The OB1 MK4 flow controller is a highly versatile instrument that can be tailored to suit your specific experimental requirements. For instance, if you are working with a cross junction Stokes trap, you will need four independent outlets of pressure to immobilize the object in the center. On the other hand, a 3D Stokes trap requires an increased number of independent channels to feed all the different channels (at least 6, schematic below).

If you are starting with an experiment that uses four channels, you can easily improve your setup by using multiple flow controllers that can all be controlled by the same software. This will allow you to control up to 64 individual outlets of pressure.

In addition to its versatility, the OB1 MK4 flow controller also offers customizable pressure ranges to suit your needs. Whether you need to control positive and/or negative pressure, our team of experts is available to help you determine the best configuration and number of pressure outlets required for your experiment.

Control the flow rate and the pressure in each inlet of your particle trap

Flow rate and pressure are the two parameters that need to be monitored and adjusted all along the experiment. The flow controller OB1 MK4 can be connected to a flow rate sensor (MFS) and/or a pressure sensor (MPS). Thanks to the data collected and most importantly to the feedback loop with the flow controller, the flow rate or the pressure is constantly regulated to meet the target.

With our intuitive software, you control each individual channel. For more advanced users, the SDK libraries allow you to control the OB1 MK4 with your own code while connecting it to other instruments. Thanks to this integration, more complex feedback loop can be created to automatically regulate the pressure in each channel for a dedicated position of the particle.

By using our advanced flow control solutions, you can ensure that your Stokes trap experiments are optimized and you can integrate our system with other instruments. Our team of experts is available to help you determine the optimal configuration.

Find more details on Stokes trap on this article:

Anish Shenoy, Christopher V. Rao, and Charles M. Schroeder, Stokes trap for multiplexed particle manipulation and assembly using fluidics. Biophysics and computational biology (2016) https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1525162113