US-12625049-B2 - Microplastic detection sensor and microplastic detection system using the same

US12625049B2US 12625049 B2US12625049 B2US 12625049B2US-12625049-B2

Abstract

Proposed is a microplastic detection sensor for detecting information about microplastic contained in a sample. The sensor may include a fluidic channel substrate including an inlet and an outlet, and a plurality of RF resonance structures. The inlet may be formed on one end of the fluidic channel substrate, and the outlet may be formed on the other end. The fluidic channel substrate may have a microfluidic channel formed therein to connect the inlet and the outlet. The microfluidic channel may move the sample toward the outlet by capillary action. In the fluidic channel substrate, a plurality of capture parts, respectively corresponding to the RF resonance structures, may be formed along the microfluidic channel and may selectively capture the microplastic by particle size. The RF resonance structures may output information about the microplastic captured in the corresponding capture part through RF resonance for the applied RF signal.

Inventors

Jin Hyoung Kim
Kyu Sik Shin
Cheol Ung CHA
Kwon Hong LEE

Assignees

KOREA ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240105
Priority Date: 20230410

Claims (16)

1 . A microplastic detection sensor comprising: a fluidic channel substrate comprising an inlet and an outlet, the inlet formed on a first end of the fluidic channel substrate and configured to introduce a liquid sample containing microplastic dispersed in a dispersion liquid, the outlet formed on a second end of the fluidic channel substrate, the fluidic channel substrate further comprising a microfluidic channel formed therein to connect the inlet and the outlet and move the sample introduced through the inlet toward the outlet by capillary action, and the fluidic channel substrate further comprising a plurality of capture parts formed along the microfluidic channel and configured to selectively capture the microplastic contained in the sample according to a particle size; and a plurality of radio frequency (RF) resonance structures respectively corresponding to the plurality of capture parts formed on first and second sides of the fluidic channel substrate, each of the RF resonance structures configured to output information about the microplastic captured in the corresponding capture part through RF resonance for an applied RF signal.
2 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 1 , wherein the microfluidic channel is formed as a line-shaped tunnel, and a cross-section of the microfluidic channel is formed so that a width is greater than a height.
3 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of capture parts are sequentially arranged from the inlet to the outlet along the microfluidic channel, and a particle size of the microplastic sequentially captured becomes smaller.
4 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of capture parts are spaced apart from each other so that RF resonance is independently generated by an RF signal applied to each of the plurality of capture parts.
5 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of capture parts includes: an extended portion having a buffering space that is larger than the microfluidic channel, the extended portion further comprising an inlet and an outlet such that the sample flows from the microfluidic channel into the buffering space through the inlet and is then discharged from the buffering space to the microfluidic channel through the outlet; and a filter formed inside the expanded portion and configured to filter a target microplastic among several types of the microplastic contained in the sample introduced into the expanded portion.
6 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 5 , wherein each filter comprises a plurality of filter rods that are arranged at regular intervals inside the expanded portion and form a capture space that filters and captures the target microplastic, wherein the capture space is in fluid communication with the inlet of the expanded portion to allow the sample to flow into the capture space, and wherein the interval between the filter rods is smaller than a size of the target microplastic.
7 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic channel substrate includes: a lower substrate comprising the inlet, the outlet, the microfluidic channel, and the plurality of capture parts, the lower substrate formed on an upper surface thereof; and an upper substrate covering the upper surface of the lower substrate and comprising first and second through-holes connected to the inlet and outlet, respectively.
8 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 7 , wherein the lower substrate comprises a silicon substrate, and wherein the inlet, the outlet, the microfluidic channel, and the plurality of capture parts are formed on the upper surface of the lower substrate through a micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) process, wherein the upper substrate comprises glass, silicon, or quartz, and wherein the first and second through-holes are formed through the MEMS process.
9 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of RF resonance structures includes: an upper resonance pattern formed on an upper surface of the upper substrate above the capture part; and a lower resonance pattern formed on a lower surface of the lower substrate below the capture part.
10 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 9 , wherein each RF resonance structure is configured to perform RF resonance for applied RF signals in a 1 to tens of GHz band.
11 . The microplastic detection sensor of claim 9 , wherein each RF resonance structure is configured to receive an RF signal through electrical coupling and outputs a reflected wave.
12 . A microplastic detection system comprising: the microplastic detection sensor of claim 1 ; a sample injector configured to inject the liquid sample, which contains the microplastic dispersed in a solution, into the inlet of the microplastic detection sensor; a transceiver configured to apply an RF signal to the plurality of RF resonance structures and receive output signals outputted from the plurality of RF resonance structures through RF resonance for the applied RF signal; and a controller configured to analyze the applied RF signal and the output signals and calculate information about the microplastic captured in each of the plurality of capture parts.
13 . The microplastic detection system of claim 12 , wherein the transceiver is configured to apply the RF signal to the RF resonance structure through an electrical coupling scheme and receive a reflected wave as the output signal.
14 . The microplastic detection system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate an input reflection coefficient (S 11 ) based on the applied RF signal and the received reflected wave and calculate concentration and type of the microplastic captured in each of the plurality of capture parts.
15 . The microplastic detection system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate the concentration of the microplastic captured in each of the plurality of capture parts by checking a shift of resonance frequency based on the input reflection coefficient.
16 . The microplastic detection system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate the type of the microplastic captured in each of the plurality of capture parts by calculating a dielectric constant and loss tangent value depending on the type of the microplastic based on the input reflection coefficient.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. KR 10-2023-0046913 filed Apr. 10, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. BACKGROUND Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a microplastic detection technology. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a microplastic detection sensor for detecting the concentration and type of microplastic particles contained in a sample by particle size and to a microplastic detection system using the sensor. Description of Related Technology Microplastic refers to small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in size. In general, microplastic is manufactured from scratch or created when plastic products break down. SUMMARY One aspect is a microplastic detection sensor that can simply and quickly detect the concentration and type of microplastic by particle size, and a microplastic detection system using the same. Another aspect is a microplastic detection sensor that includes a fluidic channel substrate having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet through which a liquid sample containing microplastic dispersed in a dispersion liquid is introduced is formed on one end of the fluidic channel substrate, and the outlet is formed on the other end, the fluidic channel substrate further having a microfluidic channel formed therein to connect the inlet and the outlet and move the sample introduced through the inlet toward the outlet by capillary action, and the fluidic channel substrate further having a plurality of capture parts formed along the microfluidic channel and selectively capturing the microplastic contained in the sample according to particle size; and a plurality of radio frequency (RF) resonance structures corresponding to the plurality of capture parts, respectively, and formed on both sides of the fluidic channel substrate, each of the RF resonance structures outputting information about the microplastic captured in the corresponding capture part through RF resonance for an applied RF signal. The microfluidic channel may be formed as a line-shaped tunnel, and a cross-section of the microfluidic channel may be formed so that a width is greater than a height. The plurality of capture parts may be sequentially arranged from the inlet to the outlet along the microfluidic channel, and a particle size of the microplastic sequentially captured may become smaller. The plurality of capture parts may be spaced apart from each other so that RF resonance is independently generated by an RF signal applied to each of the plurality of capture parts. Each of the plurality of capture parts may include an extended portion having a buffering space that is larger than the microfluidic channel, the extended portion further having an inlet and an outlet such that the sample flows from the microfluidic channel into the buffering space through the inlet and is then discharged from the buffering space to the microfluidic channel through the outlet; and a filter formed inside the expanded portion and filtering a target microplastic among several types of the microplastic contained in the sample introduced into the expanded portion. The filter may have a plurality of filter rods that are arranged at regular intervals inside the expanded portion and form a capture space that filters and captures the target microplastic. The capture space may be communicated with the inlet of the expanded portion to allow the sample to flow into the capture space. The interval between the filter rods may be smaller than a size of the target microplastic. The fluidic channel substrate may include a lower substrate having the inlet, the outlet, the microfluidic channel, and the plurality of capture parts, formed on an upper surface thereof; and an upper substrate covering the upper surface of the lower substrate and having first and second through-holes connected to the inlet and outlet, respectively. The lower substrate may be a silicon substrate, and the inlet, the outlet, the microfluidic channel, and the plurality of capture parts may be formed on the upper surface of the lower substrate through a micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) process. The upper substrate may be made of glass, silicon, or quartz, and the first and second through-holes may be formed through the MEMS process. Each of the plurality of RF resonance structures may include an upper resonance pattern formed on an upper surface of the upper substrate above the capture part; and a lower resonance pattern formed on a lower surface of the lower substrate below the capture part. The RF resonance structure may be designed to perform RF resonance for applied RF signals in a 1 to tens of GHz band. The RF resonance structure may receive an RF signal through electrical coupling and output a reflected wave. Another aspect is a microplastic detection system that includes the above-mentioned microplastic detection se