Computer simulations are used to study electrokinetic injections on microfluidic devices (microchips). The gated and pinched injection techniques are considered. Each injection technique uses a unique sequence of steps with different electric field distributions and field magnitudes in the channels to effectuate a virtual valve. The goal of these computer simulations is to identify operating pa-rameters providing optimal valve performance. In the pinched injection, the conditions of both loading and dispensing steps were analyzed to reach a compromise between the sample plug spatial extent and its concentra-tion. For the gated injection, the condition of leakage free valve operation was found for the sample loading step. The simulation results for the gated valve are compared with experimental data.
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