Design and theoretical evaluation of a novel microfluidic device to be used for PCR

Abstract

The design of a novel, microfluidic chip with an integrated micro peristaltic pump and chambers for DNA amplification is described. This chip contains three reaction chambers stable at 90 °C, 72 °C and 55 °C for PCR amplification, a bi-directional peristaltic pump and optical integrated detection of the droplet. A reactant droplet is to be introduced into the device, pumped back and forth between the chambers by the micro peristaltic pump for sample processing. The static behaviour of the micro pump was modelled theoretically in order to evaluate the optimal dimensions for the pump membranes and to obtain the maximum flow rate. Thermal analysis by the finite element method was performed to optimize the location of the heaters and the temperature uniformity over the three reaction chambers. Transient thermal analysis indicates that the reactant droplet can be heated/cooled in the proposed device in less than 1 s to achieve the desired temperatures.