Variable-pitch dispensing workstation and its application to the preparation of microsensor arrays.

We have developed an 8-ch capillary-based dispensing workstation with a variable capillary pitch mechanism. The capillary intervals can be varied from 1 to 9 mm to dispense different solutions simultaneously at an arbitrary dispensing pitch, allowing direct dispensing from microplates to integrated analytical systems. To evaluate the precision of its dispensing performance, droplets of Rhodamine G dye were dispensed onto glass slides and the values of the optical volume were analyzed. The error in the dispensed volume proved to be 0.54 nL when dispensing 20 nL. In dispensing small volumes, the volume error for this workstation was found to be about 100-fold less than that seen in conventional dispensers. Even highly viscous solutions containing 50% glycerol could be dispensed with precision. Rapid dispensing was also achieved. Moreover, the application of the workstation to preparing addressable 8 x 12 microsensor array chips was demonstrated, providing an independent and reproducible spot array.