Microfluidic Recirculation Valve

[LSW001]

L-SWITCH™ 6-port/2-position

The L-SWITCH™ is a 6-port/2-position bidirectional microfluidic recirculation valve used to handle liquids through different valve ports. It is ideal for liquid recirculation in cell culture applications, allowing to perform long-term unidirectional recirculation flow.

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Main benefits

Quick
Valve actuation time
Compact
Uses minimum bench space
Biocompatibility
Biologically compatible
Accurate
Low internal volume

Features of the recirculation microvalve

6-port/2-position

Peripheral ports (numbered from 1 to 6) can alternatively be connected to the right or the left channels. The L-SWITCH™ is actuated by a motor that drives a rotor – where the fluidic path is engraved – against a stator – containing the fluidic paths.

Fluid recirculation

The L-SWITCH™ is a microfluidic recirculation valve that can be used as a cell culture tool : a small volume of buffer can be recirculated within a closed loop into the chip for several hours or days. Combined with our MFCS™ series or LineUp™ series it can achieve a highly stable flow with a positive impact on the shear stress.

Workflow automation

The recirculation microvalve can be controlled by OxyGEN software or long-term experiments. Create a time-based protocol to set the actuation timing of the valve(s).

Control software allows back and forth flow between the two vials while maintaining a continuous unidirectional flow-rate within the cell culture chamber.

Related applications

Smart control and automation of your fluidic path

Discover Fluigent microfluidic valves, a set of compact instruments allowing to complexify and easily handle the fluidic path of your system. Once integrated in the set-up, the valves can be controlled in real-time and even without the requirement of a PC.

How to perform fluid recirculation with microfluidic valve

Many microfluidic applications require expensive solutions to be recirculated at a controlled flow rate into a microfluidic system, such as cell cultures, cell injections, or simulation of blood capillaries with a controlled minimal mechanical stress.

The L-SWITCH, combined with Fluigent’s pressure-based flow controllers, allows to recirculate a fluid in a closed loop, to run and automate long-term experiments, and to increase experimental versatility thanks to its high biological and chemical compatibility.

The 6 inputs and 2 interchangeable configurations of the microfluidic recirculation valve are represented in the images below. According to the configuration, each input is connected to an output that is either on the right or left of its neighbor.

We have demonstrated the ability to maintain a stable flow rate, without changing the yield stress, in a medium over cells during a long-term recirculation experiment using our L-SWITCH™. Check out our Technical Note to learn more!

Technical Note

Figure 1. Diagram of the two fluidic paths during a long-term experiment. The fluid always goes in the same direction within the chip.

Benefits of the L-SWITCH recirculation valve

No overpressure: Switch between 2 flow configurations in less than 100ms
No waste: No dead volume and low carryover volume.
Biocompatible: High chemical and biological compatibility
Reproducibility and Reliability: Perform identical recirculations over and over
Small buffer volume
Controlled shear stress
Long-term experiments
Flexible automation
Pressure and/or flow-rate control and limit

Specifications

PERFORMANCE

Switching time	100 ms
Maximum pressure	Up to 7 bar (100 psi)

HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS

Internal volume	660 nL
Internal diameter	0.3 mm
Wetted materials	PEEK
Dimensions	70 x 90 x 150 mm
Weight	475 g

CHEMICAL COMPATIBILITY

Gas compatibility	Dry, oil-free gas, air, any non corrosive or non explosive gas
Liquid compatibility	Aqueous solvent, oil, organic solent, biological sample

OxyGEN

Control in real-time, protocol automation, data record and export

ver. 2.2.0.0 or more recent

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Software Development Kit

Custom software application

ver. 22.2.0.0 or more recent

See the offer