Wirelessly actuated microvalve system using induction heating and its thermal effect on the microfluidic system

A wirelessly heated paraffin based disposable microvalve system has been implemented in a microfluidic system. Paraffin changes its phase from solid to liquid by inductively heated adjacent heating elements, turning on the valve. Copper and nickel discs with a diameter of 2.5mm and various thicknesses of 50µm, 100µm, and 200µm have been used as heating elements. A high frequency induction heating system (300kHz ∼ 400kHz) has been used for the valve actuation, where the copper disc with a thickness of 50µm shows most effective heating performance. The compliance of the thermally actuated valve with the enzymatic activity has been studied. No significant thermal degradation of the enzyme due to the generated heat by induction heating has been observed.