FAQ

Please contact marketing@dolomite-microfluidics.com and we will check your account details and send you a new confirmation email.

Please contact marketing@dolomite-microfluidics.com and we will reset your account and send you a confirmation email with your new login details.

Please contact marketing@dolomite-microfluidics.com and we will remove your account details

Create an account which will allow you to browse prices and place orders online. Click here to create an account.

Quotes can be generated via our microfluidic web shop. Simply create an account, log in and select the products for which you want to create a quote. Add all products to the shopping cart and select “Request quotation” in the checkout process.

VAT stands for Value Added Tax. It is a sales tax which will be added to all products and services purchased from Dolomite and shipped to customers in the UK, or to EU customers who do not have a VAT number. When buying products via our microfluidic web shop, the VAT amount will be shown in step 2 of the checkout process. If you are a VAT registered company within the EU (and can supply a valid VAT number when creating an account for our microfluidic shop), or a company from outside the EU, you do not have to pay VAT.

We do offer discounts for large quantities, pump solutions and system solutions. Please contact us for more information on sales@dolomite-microfluidics.com.

Please read our Terms & Conditions

Please read our Terms & Conditions

Please read our Terms & Conditions

Please read our Privacy Policy

We sell a wide range of microfluidic chips including Porous Media Chips, Droplet Chips, Mixer Chips, T-Junction Chips, Membrane Devices.

Click here to visit our microfluidic chip webshop page.

We can provide different chip coatings to suit your individual needs:

Hydrophilic - for making organic/gaseous droplets in aqueous

Hydrophobic - for making aqueous droplets in organic liquid

Fluorophilic - for making aqueous droplets in fluorinated liquids

Click here to visit our microfluidic chip webshop page.

Dolomite's microfluidic chips are available in three standard surface types:

Hydrophilic - this is bare B270 type glass cleaned in our propreitary methods, to an ultra clean finish. The result is a highly hydrophilic surface which is wet by water. The exposed surface chemical groups are OH^-2. 

Applications include: Production of organic (Mineral Oil, Dichloromethane, Hexadecane) droplets or gaseous bubbles (air, N₂He) in water.

Hydrophobic - this is established by applying a silanizing agent onto the bare glass surface. The finished surface has a self-assembled monolayer of silane groups, rendering the surface as water repelling.

Applications include: making aqueous (water, dna solution, protein solution) droplets in organic (mineral oil, Mineral Oil, Dichloromethane, Hexadecane, Pico-Surf™ fluids.

Flurophilic - this coating is achieved by applying a proprietary reagent onto the glass surface. this allows aqueous droplets to be created in fluorinated oil 

We also offer a hydrophilic, hydrophobic and fluorophilic version in Quartz(as compared with B270). The surface effects are very similar, with the only significant difference being in the optical transmission/absorbance properties when used in UV radiation applications.

Most chips are rated to perform at up to 30 bar. A small subset of chips (Porous Media Chips) are rated to perform at over 100 bar. The individual datasheets for chips will provide more information regarding chip performance.

Click here to navigate to your chip of interest.

Common chip etch depths are 5, 14, 50, 100, and 190 µm.

To view our full range of chips and available etch depths, click here.

Product specifications are found in the datasheet for the chip of interest. Datasheets are available as PDF downloads on the chip webpage.

Click here to navigate to your chip of interest.

Please refer to the table below to check what liquids are compatible with the coating on your chip.

Chemical Compatibility Table for chip surface coatings

With the exception of PDMS chips, this procedure is an effective way to help clean all the chips supplied by the Dolomite Centre.

This procedure should be performed in a well ventilated area preferably with Local Extraction Ventilation and wearing appropriate PPE. The liquid used should reflect what has been used during your experiments or is miscible with it, i.e. water, organic solvent or oil, but without your active ingredients.

Please refer to the 

Please refer to the Chemical Compatibility Table before cleaning your chip, as some liquids may not be compatible.

Chemical Compatibility Table for chip surface coatings

1. Pump your liquid(s) in the forward direction a flow rate of ~1ml/min for 5 minutes, but do not exceed the pressure limit of the chip. For details of the pressure limit for your chip, click here to navigate to your chip of interest and read the associated datasheet.

2. Leave for 5 minutes without flow

3. Pump acetone a flow rate of ~1ml/min for 1 minute

4. Pump dry for 1 minute

5. Take off connectors and ensure that the seals are totally dry

6. Store your chip, connectors and seals in a dust free environment.

To reduce the likelihood of a blocked chip from particulates, all liquids and gases, including any cleaning solution, should be filtered before they come into contact with any part of your Microfluidics system. This should be done even if your chip has a built in filter. We supply a 2µm in-line filter which is well suited to removing tiny fibres prior to the chip, a common cause of blocked chips. We suggest that you use a 0.1 – 0.2µm filter, with the appropriate chemistry, to pre-filter your liquids

With the exception of PDMS chips, the proceedure below is an effective way to help clean all the chips supplied by the Dolomite Centre.

This procedure should be performed in a well ventilated area preferably with Local Extraction Ventilation and wearing appropriate PPE. The liquid used should reflect what has been used during your experiments or is miscible with it, i.e. water, organic solvent or oil, but without your active ingredients.

Please refer to the Chemical Compatibility Table before cleaning your chip, as some liquids may not be compatible.

Chemical Compatibility Table for chip surface coatings

1. Pump your liquid(s) in the reverse direction, i.e. push through the normal chip outlet

2. Do this at a flow rate of ~1ml/min for 5 minutes, but do not exceed the pressure limit of the chip. For details of the pressure limit for your chip, click here

3. Leave for 5 minutes without flow

4. Pump in the forward direction

5. Leave for 5 minutes without flow

6. Repeat steps 1 – 5 as required

7. Pump acetone a flow rate of ~1ml/min for 1 minute

8. Pump dry for 1 minute

9. Take off connectors and ensure that the seals are totally dry

10. Store your chip, connectors and seals in a dust free environment

Of course, prevention is better than cure. To reduce the likelihood of a blocked chip from particulates, all liquids including any cleaning solutions, should be filtered before they come into contact with any part of your Microfluidics system. This should be done even if your chip has a built in filter.

We supply a 2µm in-line filter, which is well suited to removing tiny fibres prior to the chip, a common cause of blocked chips.

We also suggest that you use a 0.1 – 0.2µm filter, with the appropriate chemistry, to pre-filter your liquids. They are readily available from a number of suppliers.

It is acceptable to autoclave an uncoated chip, e.g. hydrophilic, as long as the connectors are removed first.

Product datasheets contain a wealth of information, including maximum operating pressure, compatible connectors, available chemistries and alternative chips in the same category. Datasheets are available as PDF downloads on the chip webpage.

Click here to navigate to your chip of interest.

If there is a chip you are interested in using, but doesn't currently have a coating compatible with your chemistry, please contact our sales team for help with custom coatings.

In general, it is good laboratory practice to clean your Pumps after any use.

Where possible, we recommend pumping acetone through the pump liquid path and associated liquid channels and valves. This is an excellent solvent for cleaning and also evaporates readily after use.

• Pump for 5 minutes @ 1ml/min and leave for 5 minutes
• 2 Pump air for 5 minutes to dry (only 30 seconds for the Piezoelectric Pumps)

This procedure should be performed in a well ventilated area preferably with Local Extraction Ventilation and wearing appropriate PPE.

The P-Pump also requires the O-Ring inside the lid of the pressure chamber to have a light coating of silicon grease. Simply pop out the O-Ring with, for e.g. a fine pipette tip or non-metallic tool. Wipe it clean with a lint free wipe and smear a thin layer of silicon grease before reinserting into the lid. This only needs done once or twice a year.

The easiest solution is to use compressed gas from a cylinder. In the Flow Sensor datasheet you will find the maximum operating pressures for our range of flow sensors. Ensure that the pressure at the regulator on the gas cylinder is set accordingly.

Please note that this procedure must be executed in a safe environment wearing appropriate PPE and especially safety glasses. For your safety, we suggest that during the unblocking procedure, the flow sensor is shielded within a box.

• Remove the Flow Sensor from the Pump and interface/display
• Use appropriate tubing and connectors to attach the gas cylinder to your flow sensor
• Set the maximum pressure on the regulator according to your particular flow sensor
• Do not have the outlet side connected to tubing, just leave it open
• Open the regulator for 2 minutes to pressurise the flow sensor
• Shut off the gas flow and attach the fitting to the other side of the flow sensor. This will not harm the sensor
• Repeat step 5
• Now re-fit the pump and flow acetone through from both directions
• Repeat steps 5-8 as necessary finishing with an air dry

If this is unsuccessful, contact our Technical Support Team: support@dolomite-microfluidics.com

All liquids and gases pumping through your microfluidics system should be pre-filtered.

We supply in-line filters for this purpose which are good for removing larger particulates For smaller particulates, try using 0.1-0.2µm filter with a chemistry appropriate to your liquids. These are widely available to use with syringes or for larger volumes as required.

Within our Flow Control Software, there are a number of pre-configured calibration curves for different liquid classes; water, FC-40™, Novec-7500™, mineral oil and hexadecane. For details of how to generate calibration curves for other liquids, please contact our Technical Support Team: support@dolomite-microfluidics.com

Dolomite has introduced a new open standard connector: Multiflux®, now available in two versions: Multiflux-1 (M1) and Multiflux-2 (M2).

Multiflux-1 is a wide range of connectors, interfaces, and accessories compatible with 1.6mm (1/16") diameter polymer tubing. Popular connectors use up to 4 inlets and 4 outlets per chip. Multiflux-2 is a wide range of connectors, interfaces, and accessories compatible with 0.8mm (1/32") diameter polymer tubing. Popular connectors use up to 7 inlets and 7 outlets per chip. Some chips are usable interchangeably between Multiflux-1 and Multiflux-2.

Product datasheets contain a wealth of information, including maximum operating pressure, compatible connectors, available chemistries and alternative chips in the same category. Datasheets are available as PDF downloads on the chip webpage.

Click here to navigate to the Connectors page.

The Circular Connector is a specialized connector compatible only with the following chips, 3000048, 3200161, 3000211, 3200123. There are droplet chips with variable depths and surface coatings. The Circular Connector provides 6 fluid ports, of which typically 2 are used for outlet, and 4 are used for inlets.

The Linear Connector on the other hand is compatible with a large number of chips (Droplet, Mixer, T-Junction, and Resealable chips). It enables connection via 4 fluidic ports of which at least 3 are typically used as inlet, and at least 1 as outlet.

Both connector types, while useful for connecting to chips, can also be used for interconnecting just tubing. This can be useful for extensions to setups, where additional tubing lines need to be temporarily attached. E.g. The circular connector can connect 6 tubing lines with another 6. The linear connector can connect 4 tubing lines with another 4.