KR-20260065127-A - SMART SAMPLE CONTAINER WITH MICROPLASTIC CONCENTRATION FUNCTION

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smart sample container for concentrating microplastics for the purpose of sample pretreatment to detect and analyze microplastics present in a sample. The smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a sample container capable of holding a target sample; a discharge container for submitting a pure solution from which particles have been removed from the sample; a microfluidic element for concentration having a microchannel combined with a viscoelastic fluid-based parallel processing method; a fluid channel that is a space for injecting a sample into such an element and connecting the discharge container; and two piezoelectric element-based attached mini pumps for fluid transfer between the microfluidic element and the inlet/outlet region.

Inventors

• 홍수지

Assignees

• 홍수지

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20241101

Claims (5)

1. A sample container capable of holding a sample to be pretreated; A discharge container for submitting a pure solution from which particles have been removed from a sample; Concentration microfluidic device having a microchannel combined with a viscoelastic fluid-based parallel processing method; A fluid channel that is a space for connecting a sample supply and discharge container to such a device; and A smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment, characterized by comprising a microfluidic element and two attached miniature piezoelectric pumps for fluid transfer in the fluid inlet/outlet regions.
2. A smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment according to claim 1, characterized in that the fluid path connects the sample container, the discharge container, and the microfluidic element to provide a flow path for the sample and the solution, and induces the sample to circulate through the microfluidic element.
3. A smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment according to claim 1, wherein the two attached small piezoelectric pumps comprise a first small piezoelectric pump and a second small piezoelectric pump, wherein the first small piezoelectric pump sucks a sample from the sample container and injects it into the microfluidic element, and the second small piezoelectric pump moves the pure solution that has passed through the microfluidic element to the discharge container so that the concentrated sample is recirculated to the sample container.
4. A smart sample container for microplastic pretreatment according to claim 1, characterized in that the microfluidic device concentrates microplastics within a sample to the center by utilizing a particle focusing phenomenon in a viscoelastic fluid.
5. In claim 4, the microfluidic device is equipped with four parallel microchannels, and A smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment, characterized in that a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet are provided at each end of a microchannel, respectively, a fluid containing microplastics to be concentrated is supplied through the fluid inlet, the concentrated microplastics at the outlets of each parallel channel are combined into one and moved back to the sample container, and the unconcentrated solution is separated at both ends of the parallel channel and moved to the discharge container.

Description

Smart Sample Container for Microplastic Sample Pretreatment {SMART SAMPLE CONTAINER WITH MICROPLASTIC CONCENTRATION FUNCTION} Smart Sample Container with Microplastic Concentration Function The present invention relates to a smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment, and more specifically, to a miniaturized smart container capable of concentrating microplastics within a sample container by combining a viscoelastic fluid-based parallel processing method with microfluidic technology. Microplastics are one of the major causes of environmental problems, and cases of their detection in human blood and urine are increasing. To detect and analyze these microplastics, a preliminary concentration process is essential because the concentrations within the samples are very low. Existing concentration technologies utilize centrifuges or filters, but these methods require large-scale equipment and can cause sample loss or damage. Furthermore, existing technologies designed for small particles are costly and time-consuming, and they also have limitations in that they lack the ability to separate concentrated particles from impurities. As a method to overcome these limitations, microfluidic technology using viscoelastic fluids has recently been attracting attention, and techniques are being developed to concentrate microparticles at specific locations by utilizing nonlinear elastic forces generated within the fluid. However, most of these microfluidic technologies remain at the level of basic research within single devices. Therefore, there is a need for a smart sample container capable of concentrating microplastics present at low concentrations in samples by applying a microfluidic device, which utilizes viscoelastic fluids to perform simultaneous separation and concentration, to a new, miniaturized sample container design. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a microfluidic device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a fluid path according to one embodiment of the present invention. A smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment according to one embodiment of the present invention utilizes microfluidic technology to enable the concentration of microplastics present at low concentrations within a sample, and is miniaturized to pretreat microplastic samples. To realize this, it consists of the following specific components and operating methods. A smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a sample container (100), a discharge container (110), a microfluidic element (200), a fluid channel (220), a first small piezoelectric pump (300), and a second small piezoelectric pump (310). Hereinafter, the operation method of a smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the operating principle of a smart sample container for microplastic sample pretreatment according to the present invention is as follows: First, a target sample, such as seawater, blood, or urine, is placed in a sample container (100), and then a first small piezoelectric pump (300) operates to suck in the sample and supply it to a microfluidic element (200). At this time, the sample is supplied to the fluid inlet (211) of the microfluidic element along with a viscoelastic fluid. The supplied sample is concentrated in the microfluidic element (200), and during this process, the microplastics move to the center of the channel, and the particles gathered in the center are extracted through the second fluid outlet (213), which is the central outlet of the channel. At this time, the pure solution that is not gathered in the center moves along the channel and is sucked in by the second small piezoelectric pump (310) and moved to the discharge container. Subsequently, the concentrated sample collected at the second fluid outlet (213) returns to the sample container (100) along the fluid path (220), which allows the concentration process to be performed repeatedly. Thus, the sample can be continuously processed until the desired concentration ratio is achieved, the pure solution that is not concentrated is separated into a discharge container, and only the pure material is discharged. Finally, through a repeated concentration process, the microplastics are concentrated to a high magnification in the sample container, and only the pure, unconcentrated solution is contained in the discharge container (110). The concentrated sample can be collected from the sample container (100) and transferred to an analysis device.