Then, a flat PDMS plate was bonded on the opposite side of the latch structures to make a ceiling of the fluidic chamber.
b Fluidic channel has latch structures where the latch blocks of hydrogel units are geometrically locked.
After that, the ceiling of the fluidic chamber was cut off to make an open chamber with 1.5 mm height, while the height of the latch structures was 130 μm.
Latch structures are located along the fluidic chamber at both sides as the shape of the long groove and the narrow slots.
Hydrogel units are assembled in a fluidic channel by intermeshing latch blocks and latch structures.
Latch structures and fluidic chamber were patterned on a 4-inch Si wafer with 130 μm thickness.
The long groove (3150 µm × 300 µm × 130 µm) and the narrow slots (150 µm × 300 µm × 130 µm) of the latch structure are geometrically fitted with latch blocks of the hydrogel unit and prevent disassembly after assembly.
It seems likely that unlocking of this latch structure upon Chi recognition fully opens the exit channel for extrusion of an ssDNA loop.
The assembly process of hydrogel units in a fluidic channel was carried out by intermeshing of the latch structure and the latch block.
