Sample filling and discretization within thermoplastic 2D microwell arrays is investigated toward the development of low cost disposable microfluidics for passive sample discretization. By using a high level of contact angle asymmetry between the filling channel and microwell surfaces, a significant increase in the range of well geometries that can be successfully filled is revealed. The performance of various array designs is characterized numerically and experimentally to assess the impact of contact angle asymmetry and device geometry on sample filling and discretization, resulting in guidelines to ensure robust microwell filling and sample isolation over a wide range of well dimensions. Using the developed design rules, reliable and bubble-free sample filling and discretization is achieved in designs with critical dimensions ranging from 20 μm to 800 μm. The resulting devices are demonstrated for discretized nucleic acid amplification by performing loop-mediated isothermal amplification for the detection of the mecA gene associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

中文翻译：

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使用非对称接触角增强热塑性2D微孔阵列中的样品填充和离散化。

对热塑性二维微孔阵列中的样品填充和离散化进行了研究，以开发用于被动样品离散化的低成本一次性微流体。通过在填充通道和微孔表面之间使用高水平的接触角不对称性，可以显着增加可以成功填充的孔几何形状的范围。对各种阵列设计的性能进行了数值和实验表征，以评估接触角不对称性和器件几何形状对样品填充和离散化的影响，从而制定了确保在广泛的孔尺寸范围内进行稳健的微孔填充和样品分离的准则。使用制定的设计规则，关键尺寸从20μm到800μm的设计可实现可靠且无气泡的样品填充和离散化。通过执行环介导的等温扩增以检测与耐甲氧西林的金黄色葡萄球菌相关的mecA基因，证明了所得装置可用于离散核酸扩增。