CN117079689A

CN117079689A - Molecular module assembling device and molecular module assembling method

Info

Publication number: CN117079689A
Application number: CN202210503189.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张璐帅; 姜朔
Original assignee: Codon Hangzhou Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Codon Hangzhou Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-05-10
Filing date: 2022-05-10
Publication date: 2023-11-17
Also published as: WO2023216692A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a molecular module assembling apparatus and a molecular module assembling method, the molecular module assembling apparatus including: a plurality of microfluidic devices arranged in an array, wherein each microfluidic device comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, and each microfluidic device is configured to control movement of a droplet containing a molecular module in the microfluidic device by a voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode such that at least two droplets in a molecular module assembly device are mixed to assemble at least two molecular modules.

Description

Molecular module assembling device and molecular module assembling method

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of storage technologies, and in particular, to a molecular module assembling apparatus and a molecular module assembling method.

Background

With the great development of information technology, the demand for data storage is also rapidly increasing. Conventional data storage media include hard disks, flash memories, magnetic tapes, optical disks, etc., which have problems of low storage density, short storage time, high power consumption, etc. In order to achieve higher storage densities and more reliable storage effects, information may be stored in molecules. Taking DNA molecule for data storage as an example, the storage density can reach 10 of the traditional storage medium theoretically ⁶ To 10 ⁷ More than times, orders of magnitude lowerBased on the cost of storing operation and maintenance. In addition, the DNA molecules are very stable, and the data can be stored for thousands of years under the condition of low temperature and drying. In addition, DNA molecule storage has great advantages over traditional storage modes in terms of carbon emission, energy consumption, data safety, portability and the like. In storing information into molecules, this can be achieved by molecular module assembly, and thus there is a need for such a technique.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a molecular module assembling apparatus and a molecular module assembling method.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a molecular module assembling apparatus comprising:

a plurality of microfluidic devices arranged in an array, wherein each microfluidic device comprises a first electrode and a second electrode, and each microfluidic device is configured to control movement of a droplet containing a molecular module in the microfluidic device by a voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode such that at least two droplets in the molecular module assembly device are mixed to assemble at least two molecular modules.

In some embodiments, each microfluidic device further comprises:

and a switching device, wherein one of a source and a drain of the switching device is connected to the first electrode of the microfluidic device, the other of the source and the drain of the switching device is configured to receive a respective data signal, and a gate of the switching device is configured to receive a respective scan signal.

In some embodiments, the switching device includes at least one of a thin film transistor and an organic electrochemical transistor.

In some embodiments, the plurality of microfluidic devices are arranged in a rectangular array.

In some embodiments, the switching devices in the microfluidic devices in the same row are connected to the same scan line for transmitting the scan signal, and the switching devices in the microfluidic devices in different rows are respectively connected to different scan lines; and

the switching devices in the microfluidic devices in the same column are connected to the same data line for transmitting data signals, and the switching devices in the microfluidic devices in different columns are respectively connected to different data lines.

In some embodiments, at least two of the plurality of microfluidic devices are configured such that droplets therein move simultaneously.

In some embodiments, at least two of the plurality of microfluidic devices are configured such that a portion of a droplet moves in a different direction, respectively, to split the droplet.

In some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices is configured such that the mixed droplets move along a preset path.

In some embodiments, the preset path includes at least one of a straight path, a polyline path, and a reciprocating path.

In some embodiments, the first electrode and the second electrode in the same microfluidic device are disposed on the same plane.

In some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices further comprises:

and a dielectric layer disposed on the sides of the first electrode and the second electrode closer to the droplet.

In some embodiments, the dielectric layer is formed of a hydrophobic material.

a hydrophobic layer is provided on the side of the dielectric layer closer to the droplet.

In some embodiments, the molecular module assembly apparatus further comprises:

a first substrate, wherein a part of the microfluidic devices in the plurality of microfluidic devices are arranged on the first substrate; and

The second substrate and the first substrate are arranged opposite to each other, and the other part of the microfluidic devices are arranged on the second substrate.

In some embodiments, the first electrode and the second electrode in the same microfluidic device are disposed on different planes, and the first electrode and the second electrode are disposed opposite each other.

a first dielectric layer disposed on a side of the first electrode closer to the droplet; and/or

And the second dielectric layer is arranged on one side of the second electrode, which is closer to the liquid drop.

In some embodiments, the first dielectric layer is formed of a hydrophobic material; and/or

The second dielectric layer is formed of a hydrophobic material.

a first hydrophobic layer disposed on a side of the first dielectric layer closer to the droplet; and/or

And a second hydrophobic layer disposed on a side of the second dielectric layer closer to the droplet.

In some embodiments, the molecular module assembly apparatus further comprises:

A first substrate, on which a first electrode of the plurality of microfluidic devices is disposed; and

the second substrate and the first substrate are arranged opposite to each other, and the second electrodes in the microfluidic devices are arranged on the second substrate.

In some embodiments, the droplet is configured to move along at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate.

In some embodiments, the droplet is configured to move between the first substrate and the second substrate under the influence of electrostatic forces.

a fluid-filled layer disposed between the first and second substrates, the fluid-filled layer being incompatible with the droplets and the droplets being configured to move within the fluid-filled layer.

a temperature control device configured to control a temperature of a droplet in the at least one microfluidic device.

A temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of a droplet in the at least one microfluidic device.

In some embodiments, the molecular module assembly apparatus further comprises:

a plurality of droplet sources, each of the plurality of droplet sources being configured to provide a droplet comprising a respective molecular module, respectively.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a molecular module assembling method including:

determining corresponding molecular modules and assembly sequences according to initial information to be stored;

generating an assembly signal according to the determined molecular modules and the assembly sequence; and

based on the assembly signal, assembling the molecular module into a molecule for storing information with a molecular module assembly device, wherein the molecular module assembly device comprises the molecular module assembly device as described above, and the assembly signal is configured to generate a voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode of the microfluidic device.

In some embodiments, determining the respective molecular modules and assembly order from the initial information to be stored comprises:

acquiring initial information to be stored, and representing the initial information by using a first address code and a first content code, wherein each position in the initial information is represented by the first address code corresponding to the position one by one, and the content at each position of the initial information is represented by the corresponding first content code;

Recoding each first address code separately to represent a corresponding one of the first address codes with first recoding information having a first preset number of bits and a first preset number of bits;

corresponding molecular modules and assembly orders are determined based on the first content encoding and the first recoding information.

recoding each first content code separately to represent a corresponding one of the first content codes with second recoding information having a second preset number of bits and a second preset number of bits;

the corresponding molecular modules and assembly order are determined from the first address code and the second recoding information.

recoding each first address code and each first content code, respectively, to represent a corresponding one of the first address codes with first recoding information having a first preset number of bits and a first preset number of bits, and to represent a corresponding one of the first content codes with second recoding information having a second preset number of bits and a second preset number of bits;

corresponding molecular modules and assembly orders are determined based on the first recoding information and the second recoding information.

Other features of the present disclosure and its advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

The disclosure may be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram of a molecular module assembly method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a storage form of storing information in a molecule in a specific example of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of step S100 in a molecular module assembly method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a storage form of storing information in a molecule in another specific example of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a storage form of storing information in a molecule in yet another specific example of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 shows a flow diagram of step S100 in a molecular module assembling method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 shows a flow diagram of step S100 in a molecular module assembling method according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of a molecular module assembly apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a microfluidic device and droplets therein in an initial contact angle state according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a microfluidic device and droplets therein in a contact angle varying state according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 11 shows a schematic diagram of a microfluidic device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 12 shows a schematic view of a droplet moving along a first substrate and a second substrate of a microfluidic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 13 shows a schematic diagram of the connection of a microfluidic device to scan lines and data lines according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 14-19 illustrate schematic diagrams of assembled molecular modules according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 20-22 illustrate schematic diagrams of separating droplets according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 23 shows a schematic diagram of a molecular module assembly apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Note that in the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals are used in common between different drawings to denote the same parts or parts having the same functions, and a repetitive description thereof may be omitted. In some cases, like numbers and letters are used to designate like items, and thus once an item is defined in one drawing, no further discussion thereof is necessary in subsequent drawings.

For ease of understanding, the positions, dimensions, ranges, etc. of the respective structures shown in the drawings and the like may not represent actual positions, dimensions, ranges, etc. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed positions, dimensions, ranges, etc. as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that: the relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. That is, the structures and methods herein are shown by way of example to illustrate different embodiments of the structures and methods in this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that they are merely illustrative of the exemplary ways in which the disclosure may be practiced, and not exhaustive. Moreover, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but should be considered part of the specification where appropriate.

In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be construed as merely illustrative, and not a limitation. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

In molecular storage technology, different molecular modules can be used to represent different contents in information to be stored, and the complete information to be stored can be represented by assembling the molecular modules. The present disclosure proposes a molecular module assembling method and a molecular module assembling apparatus, which can manipulate droplets containing various molecular modules using a dielectric wetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) effect-based digital microfluidic (Digital Microfluidics, DMF) technique after determining the molecular modules and their assembling order according to information to be stored, so that the droplets move and mix along a desired path, thereby causing the molecular modules therein to react and assemble in a desired manner to generate molecules corresponding to the information to be stored.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 1, a molecular module assembly method may include:

step S100, determining corresponding molecular modules and assembly sequences according to the initial information to be stored.

For example, in a specific example, for a piece of binary information shown in Table 1 below, it has a total of 10 ¹⁰ Bits, and the value of the content on each bit may be 0 or 1. Accordingly, content 0 and content 1 can be represented by two different molecular modules, respectively, and 10 ¹⁰ The different molecular modules are respectively represented by 10 ¹⁰ The addresses are synthesized or combined by following a preset rule (2+10) ¹⁰ ) The molecular modules may represent the piece of information shown in table 1, such as the storage form shown in fig. 2, in which each small rectangular box represents one molecular module.

TABLE 1

Content	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	...	1
													Address of	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	...	10 ¹⁰

However, it will be appreciated that the data storage unit 10 ¹⁰ The library of molecular modules formed by the different molecular modules of the order of magnitude will be very large and the assembly thereof will be very difficult, which may lead to the writing of information into the molecule becoming very difficult. In addition, in reading information, it may involve analyzing the authentication 10 ¹⁰ Different molecular modules of different magnitudes, which is also very difficult.

In order to solve the above problems, the number of required molecular modules can be greatly reduced by recoding the initial information to be stored, so as to facilitate assembly. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, step S100 may include:

step S110, the initial information to be stored is acquired, and the initial information is represented by a first address code and a first content code.

The initial information may include various forms of information such as text information, picture information, audio information, or video information, etc. In information technology, the various forms of information described above can be conveniently converted into, for example, binary codes or the like. Hereinafter, the technical solution of the present disclosure will be described in detail taking as an example the initial information as binary coded information. However, it is understood that the initial information may be other information encoded in a binary fashion, as desired.

Further, the acquired initial information may be represented by a first address code and a first content code, wherein each position in the initial information may be represented by a first address code corresponding to the position one by one, respectively, and the content at each position of the initial information may be represented by a corresponding first content code, respectively.

In some embodiments, obtaining the initial information to be stored and representing the initial information with the first address code and the first content code may include:

acquiring initial information;

determining a unit number of bits of the content at a position corresponding to one first address code in the initial information;

dividing the initial information into one or more pieces of initial information when the total number of bits of the initial information is an integer multiple of the number of unit bits;

when the total bit number of the initial information is not an integer multiple of the unit bit number, the initial information is complemented so that the total bit number of the obtained complemented initial information is an integer multiple of the unit bit number, and the complemented initial information is divided into one or more initial information pieces.

Wherein the unit bits of the content at each position in the initial information are equal to each other, and the number of bits of each piece of initial information is the unit number of bits. That is, when the initial information is represented by the first address code and the first content code, the initial information is divided into one or more pieces of initial information each having a unit bit number, and a corresponding first address code and first content code are given to each piece of initial information for subsequent processing.

When the total number of bits of the initial information is not an integer multiple of the number of unit bits, the initial information may be supplemented with the occupied content, where the occupied content and the non-occupied content in the initial information may correspond to different sub-modules, respectively. Tool withIn general, the initial information may be supplemented with placeholder content at one or more of the head, tail and middle (in some embodiments, the placeholder content may be denoted by "0", but it is noted that the "0" used for the placement is different from the original "0" in the initial information, and accordingly, the two different "0" s are also denoted by different molecular modules, and herein, the "0" as the placeholder content is underlined). Because the occupied content and the unoccupied content in the initial information respectively correspond to different molecular modules, the information can be conveniently distinguished when being read. For example, if the initial information is "1001100010110001", the number of unit bits is 3, i.e., the total number of bits 16 of the initial information is not an integer multiple of the number of unit bits 3, the header of the initial information may be supplemented with the occupied content, and the resulting bit-supplemented initial information is001001100010110001 ". Alternatively, the placeholder content may be supplemented at the end of the initial information, and the resulting supplemental initial information may be represented as "1001100010110001 00". Further, it is understood that in some embodiments, while other ways of distinguishing between occupied content and non-occupied content may be employed (e.g., one or more "0" s located in the header of the information may be directly considered as occupied content), the same molecular modules may also be used to represent occupied content and non-occupied content.

The number of units, or the different divisions of the initial information, may be determined as desired. For example, as for the initial information "1001100010110001", it can be divided into different pieces of initial information as shown in tables 2 to 8 below:

TABLE 2

First content encoding	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	1
																	First address coding	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15

In the specific example shown in table 2, the number of units of the initial information piece is 1. The first address code may include 16 of "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10", "11", "12", "13", "14" and "15", and the first content code may include 2 of "0" and "1".

TABLE 3 Table 3

First content encoding	10	01	10	00	10	11	00	01
									First address coding	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

In the specific example shown in table 3, the number of units of the initial information piece is 2. The first address code may include 8 of "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6" and "7", and the first content code may include 4 of "00", "01", "10" and "11".

TABLE 4 Table 4

First content encoding	001	001	100	010	110	001
							First address coding	0	1	2	3	4	5

TABLE 5

First content encoding	100	110	001	011	000	100
							First address coding	0	1	2	3	4	5

In the specific examples shown in tables 4 and 5, the number of units of the initial information pieces is 3. Since the total number of bits of the initial information is not an integer multiple of the number of bits of the unit, in table 4, two "0" s as the occupied content are added to the head of the initial information so that the total number of bits of the resulting additional initial information is an integer multiple of the number of bits of the unit to facilitate division. The first address codes may include 6 of "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5", and the corresponding first content codes may include 4 of "001", "010", "100", and "110". In addition, when other specific initial information is represented in this way, the first content code may also include one or more of "000", "011", "101", and "111".

In addition, as shown in table 5, the total number of bits of the bit-complement initial information can be made an integer multiple of the number of unit bits by supplementing the occupancy content at the tail of the initial information. It should be noted that the term "is used herein0"representing placeholder content, but may also be represented by other characters, and used for placeholder 0"and other" 0 "in the initial information have different meanings, and in the subsequent steps, different molecular modules may be used to represent them, respectively.

TABLE 6

First content encoding	1001	1000	1011	0001
					First address coding	0	1	2	3

In the specific example shown in table 6, the number of units of the initial information piece is 4. The first address codes may include 4 kinds of "0", "1", "2", and "3", and the corresponding first content codes may include "1001", "1000", "1011", and "0001". It will be appreciated that in other specific examples, the first content code may also be other four-bit binary numbers, which are not enumerated here.

TABLE 7

First content encoding	10011000	10110001
			First address coding	0	1

In the specific example shown in table 7, the number of units of the initial information piece is 8. The first address codes may include 2 kinds of "0" and "1", and the corresponding first content codes may include "10011000" and "10110001". It will be appreciated that in other specific examples, the first content code may also be other eight-bit binary numbers, which are not enumerated here.

TABLE 8

First content encoding	1001100010110001
		First address coding	0

In the specific example shown in table 8, the number of units of the initial information piece is 16. The first address code may include "0" for 1 and the corresponding first content code may include "1001100010110001". It will be appreciated that in other specific examples, the first content code may be other sixteen-bit binary numbers, and is not enumerated here.

In addition, the first address code and the first content code may also be converted into other numbers, octal, decimal, hexadecimal, etc.

Returning to fig. 3, step S100 may further include:

step S121, recoding each first address code to represent a corresponding one of the first address codes with first recoding information having a first preset number of bits and a first preset system;

step S131, determining the corresponding molecular modules and the assembly order according to the first content encoding and the first recoding information.

In some embodiments, the sum (b1+s1) of the first preset number of bits B1 and the first preset number of bits S1 may be smaller than the maximum possible number of different values of the first address code, so as to effectively reduce the total number of molecular modules required for characterizing the first address code. And, the first preset bit of the first preset system is raised to the power of several times (S1 ^B1 ) The maximum number of possible different values of the first address code that may be greater than the initial information, thereby enabling the first recoded information to represent all possible outcomesThe existing first address is coded to ensure the reliability of the coding.

For example, using first recoded information in 3-bit 2-system, a total of 8 (i.e., 2) can be represented by 5 (i.e., 3+2) different molecular modules ³ ) A different first address code; using the first recoded information in 4-bit 2-ary, a total of 16 (i.e., 2) can be represented by 6 (i.e., 4+2) different molecular modules ⁴ ) A different first address code; using the first recoded information in a 5-bit 2 system, a total of 32 (i.e., 2) can be represented by 7 (i.e., 5+2) different molecular modules ⁵ ) A different first address code; using the first recoded information in 5-bit 3, the total 243 (i.e., 3) can be represented by 8 (i.e., 5+3) different molecular modules ⁵ ) A different first address code; using 10 bits of 10-ary first recoded information, a total of 10 can be represented by 20 (i.e., 10+10) different molecular modules ¹⁰ A different first address code. It follows that by re-encoding, when the number of first address encodings to be represented increases exponentially, only a linear increase in the number of molecular modules is required, thus greatly compressing the types of molecular modules required.

Further, the respective molecular modules and assembly order may be determined based on the first content encoding and the first recoding information. In particular, different molecular modules may be determined for the first content encoding and the first recoding information, respectively.

In some embodiments, in determining the corresponding molecular module for the first recoded information, different molecular modules may be determined for the content on different bits in the first recoded information, respectively, and different molecular modules may be determined for the different content on the same bit in the first recoded information, respectively. It should be noted that in such an embodiment, for the same content in different locations in the first recoded information, different molecular modules are also used to represent the same content in different locations by including the location information in the molecular modules.

For example, in a specific example, when the acquired initial information is "10011000", it may be expressed as the form shown in the following table 9 in the manner described above:

TABLE 9

First content encoding	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0
									First address coding	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Further, each of the first address codes may be recoded into first recoded information of 3-bit 2 system as shown in table 10 below:

table 10

First content encoding	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0
									First address coding	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
First recoded information	000	001	010	011	100	101	110	111

Accordingly, two different first content encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module A1 and molecular module A2, respectively, "0" and "1" at a first position in the first recoded information may be represented by molecular module B1 and molecular module B2, respectively, "0" and "1" at a second position in the first recoded information may be represented by molecular module B3 and molecular module B4, respectively, and "0" and "1" at a third position in the first recoded information may be represented by molecular module B5 and molecular module B6, respectively, wherein molecular module A1, molecular module A2, molecular module B1, molecular module B2, molecular module B3, molecular module B4, molecular module B5, and molecular module B6 are molecules or molecular fragments, respectively, and are each different from each other. Thus, a total of 8 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system. It can be seen that although molecular modules B1, B3 and B5 all represent "0", they are different from each other to distinguish "0" at different positions because they represent "0" at different positions in the first recoded information. Similarly, molecular modules B2, B4 and B6 representing "1" at different positions are also different from each other.

In a specific example, the combined storage form may be as shown in fig. 4. In the first line, the first to fourth molecular modules from left to right represent, respectively, "0" on the first bit of the first recoded information of the first address code, "0" on the second bit of the first recoded information of the first address code, and "0" on the third bit of the first recoded information of the first address code. Similarly, the first chain in the first row corresponds to bit 1 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the second chain in the second row corresponds to bit 2" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the third chain in the third row corresponds to bit 3" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the fourth chain in the fourth row corresponds to bit 4" 1 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the fifth chain in the fifth row corresponds to bit 5" 1 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the sixth chain in the sixth row corresponds to bit 6" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the seventh chain in the seventh row corresponds to bit 7" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", and the eighth chain in the eighth row corresponds to bit 8" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ". Each type of molecular chain in each row may be mixed together or may be joined end to form longer molecular chains to represent the initial information.

In other embodiments, step S131 may include:

for each first recoded information, representing the first recoded information by a second address code and a second content code, wherein each position in the first recoded information can be represented by the second address code corresponding to the position one by one respectively, and the content at each position in the first recoded information can be represented by the corresponding second content code respectively; and

the corresponding molecular module is determined from the first content encoding, the second address encoding, and the second content encoding.

As with the specific example described above, when the acquired initial information is "10011000", each first recoded information may be represented by a second address code and a second content code, respectively, as shown in table 11 below: TABLE 11

Wherein the first content code has two different values of "0" and "1", the second address code has three different values of "0", "1" and "2", and the second content code has two different values of "0" and "1".

Further, in some embodiments, different molecular modules may be determined for the first content encoding, the second address encoding, and the second content encoding, respectively, to distinguish between the three encodings.

For example, determining the corresponding molecular module from the first content encoding, the second address encoding, and the second content encoding may include:

determining different molecular modules for the first content codes with different values respectively; or (b)

Determining different molecular modules for the second address codes with different values respectively; or (b)

Different molecular modules are determined for the second content codes of different values, respectively.

For example, in the specific example shown in table 11 above, two different first content encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module A1 and molecular module A2, respectively, two different second content encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module A3 and molecular module A4, and three different second address encodings "0", "1" and "2" may be represented by molecular module A5, molecular module A6 and molecular module A7, respectively, wherein molecular module A1, molecular module A2, molecular module A3, molecular module A4, molecular module A5, molecular module A6 and molecular module A7 are molecules or molecular fragments, and are different from each other. Thus, a total of 7 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

In another specific example of the present disclosure, the combined storage form may be as shown in fig. 5. Taking the first row as an example, the first to seventh molecular modules from left to right respectively represent a first content code of a first bit "1", a first second content code "0" of the first bit "1", a corresponding first second address code "0", a second content code "0" of the first bit, a corresponding second address code "1", a third content code "0" of the first bit, and a corresponding third second address code "2" of the first bit. Similarly, the first chain in the first row corresponds to bit 1 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the second chain in the second row corresponds to bit 2" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the third chain in the third row corresponds to bit 3" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the fourth chain in the fourth row corresponds to bit 4" 1 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the fifth chain in the fifth row corresponds to bit 5" 1 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the sixth chain in the sixth row corresponds to bit 6" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", the seventh chain in the seventh row corresponds to bit 7" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ", and the eighth chain in the eighth row corresponds to bit 8" 0 "in the initial information" 10011000 ". Each class of molecular chains in each row may be mixed together or may be joined end to form longer molecular chains to represent the initial information.

Alternatively, determining the respective sub-modules and the assembly order from the first content encoding, the second address encoding, and the second content encoding may include:

when the first content codes have Nc1 different values, determining different molecular modules for the first content codes with (Nc 1-1) different values respectively, and enabling the remaining first content codes with one value not to correspond to any molecular module; or (b)

When the second address codes have Na2 different values, respectively determining different molecular modules for the (Na 2-1) second address codes with different values, and enabling the remaining second address codes with one value not to correspond to any molecular module; or (b)

When the second content codes have Nc2 different values, different molecular modules are determined for the (Nc 2-1) different values of the second content codes, respectively, and the remaining one value of the second content codes does not correspond to any molecular module.

That is, a code of a certain value may not correspond to any molecular module, but may be represented by a missing state, which may reduce the number of different kinds of molecular modules required.

For example, in the specific example shown in table 11 above, the first content code "0" may be represented by the molecular module A1, and the first content code "1" may be represented by the missing state, i.e., the first content code "1" may be represented without any molecular module. In addition, the second contents of two different values are encoded with "0" and "1" similarly represented by the molecular module A3 and the molecular module A4, and the second address of three different values are encoded with "0", "1" and "2" similarly represented by the molecular module A5, the molecular module A6 and the molecular module A7, wherein the molecular module A1, the molecular module A3, the molecular module A4, the molecular module A5, the molecular module A6 and the molecular module A7 are molecules or molecular fragments, and they are different from each other. Thus, a total of 6 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

In some embodiments, different molecular modules may also be determined for different combinations of values of two of the first content encoding, the second address encoding, and the second content encoding, respectively.

In a specific example, determining the respective sub-modules from the first content encoding, the second address encoding, and the second content encoding may include:

different molecular modules are determined for the combination of the different values of the second address code and the second content code, respectively.

For example, in the specific example shown in table 11 above, a combination in which the second content is encoded as "0" and the second address is encoded as "0" may be represented by a molecular module A8, a combination in which the second content is encoded as "0" and the second address is encoded as "1" may be represented by a molecular module A9, a combination in which the second content is encoded as "0" and the second address is encoded as "2" may be represented by a molecular module a10, a combination in which the second content is encoded as "1" and the second address is encoded as "0" may be represented by a molecular module a11, a combination in which the second content is encoded as "1" and the second address is encoded as "1" may be represented by a molecular module a12, and a combination in which the second content is encoded as "1" and the second address is encoded as "2" may be represented by a molecular module a 13. The initial information in table 11 may also be represented entirely in combination of the molecular module A1 and the molecular module A2 representing the first content code. Thus, a total of 8 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

It can be understood that different molecular modules can be determined for the combination of different values of the first address code and the second address code, respectively, and the initial information can be represented by combining the molecular modules representing the second content code; or different molecular modules can be determined for the combination of different values of the first address code and the second content code respectively, and the initial information can be represented by combining the molecular modules representing the second address code.

Similarly, a missing state may be used to represent a value of a combination of two of the first content code, the second address code, and the second content code. For example, determining the corresponding molecular module from the first content encoding, the second address encoding, and the second content encoding may include:

when the combination of the second address code and the second content code has Nac2 different values, different molecular modules are determined for the combination of the (Nac 2-1) second address codes and the different values of the second content code, respectively, and the remaining combination of the second address code and the second content code of one value does not correspond to any molecular module.

For example, in the specific example shown in table 11 above, a combination in which the second content is encoded as "0" and the second address is encoded as "0", a combination in which the second content is encoded as "0" and the second address is encoded as "1", a combination in which the second content is encoded as "0" and the second address is encoded as "2", a combination in which the second content is encoded as "1" and the second address is encoded as "0", a combination in which the second content is encoded as "1" and the second address is encoded as "1", and a combination in which the second content is encoded as "1" and the second address is encoded as "2" may be expressed by the missing state, a combination in which the second content is encoded as "0" and the second address is encoded as "0" by the molecular module A9, a combination in which the second content is encoded as "1" by the molecular module a 10. The initial information in table 11 may also be represented entirely in combination of the molecular module A1 and the molecular module A2 representing the first content code. Thus, a total of 7 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first content code may also be re-encoded, as shown in fig. 6. Specifically, step S100 may include:

step S122, recoding each first content code to represent a corresponding first content code by using second recoding information with a second preset bit number and a second preset system; and

step S132, determining corresponding molecular modules and assembly sequences according to the first address code and the second recoding information.

In some embodiments, the sum (b2+s2) of the second preset number of bits B2 and the second preset number of bits S2 may be less than the maximum possible number of different values of the first content encoding to effectively reduce the total number of molecular modules required to characterize the first content encoding. And, the second preset bit of the second preset system is raised to the power of several times (S2 ^B2 ) The maximum possible number of different values of the first content codes can be larger than the maximum possible number of different values of the first content codes, so that the second recoding information can represent all the first content codes which possibly occur, and the reliability of the codes is guaranteed. For example, in the case that the number of units of the initial information piece is large, if all the different valued first content codes are directly traversed to select the corresponding sub-modules, the number of sub-modules required to represent the first content codes is large, so that the first content codes can be recoded to obtain second recoded information to reduce the number required to represent the first content codes.

For example, using a second recoding information in 3 bits of 2, a total of 8 (i.e., 2) can be represented by 5 (i.e., 3+2) different molecular modules ³ ) A different first content encoding; using the second recoded information in 4-bit 2-system, a total of 16 (i.e., 2) can be represented by 6 (i.e., 4+2) different molecular modules ⁴ ) A different first content encoding; using the second recoded information in a 5-bit 2 system, a total of 32 (i.e., 2) can be represented by 7 (i.e., 5+2) different molecular modules ⁵ ) A different first content encoding; using the 5-bit 3-ary second recoded information, the total 243 (i.e., 3) can be represented by 8 (i.e., 5+3) different molecular modules ⁵ ) Individual first different content encodingsThe method comprises the steps of carrying out a first treatment on the surface of the Using the 10-bit 10-ary second recoded information, a total of 10 can be represented by 20 (i.e., 10+10) different molecular modules ¹⁰ A different first content code. It follows that by re-encoding, when the number of first content encodings to be represented increases exponentially, only a linear increase in the number of molecular modules is required, thus greatly compressing the types of molecular modules required.

Further, the corresponding molecular module may be determined based on the first address encoding and the second re-encoding information. In particular, different molecular modules may be determined for the first address code and the second recoding information, respectively.

In some embodiments, in determining the corresponding molecular modules for the second recoded information, different molecular modules may be determined for the content on different bits in the second recoded information, respectively, and different molecular modules may be determined for the different content on the same bit in the second recoded information, respectively. It is noted that in such an embodiment, for the same content in different positions in the second re-encoded information, different sub-modules will be used to represent the same content in different positions by including the position information in the sub-modules.

In other embodiments, determining the respective molecular modules and assembly order from the first address encoding and the second recoding information may include:

for each piece of second recoding information, representing the second recoding information by a third address code and a third content code, wherein each position in the second recoding information can be represented by the third address code corresponding to the position one by one respectively, and the content at each position in the second recoding information can be represented by the corresponding third content code respectively; and

the corresponding molecular module is determined from the first address code, the third address code, and the third content code.

For example, when the acquired initial information is "10011000", it can be expressed as the form shown in the following table 12 in the manner described above:

table 12

First content encoding	10	01	10	00
					First address coding	0	1	2	3

Further, each of the first content codes may be recoded and represented by a third address code and a third content code, as shown in table 13 below:

TABLE 13

Wherein the third address code has two different values of "0" and "1", the third content code has two different values of "0" and "1", and the first address code has four different values of "0", "1", "2", and "3".

Further, in some embodiments, different molecular modules may be determined for the first address code, the third address code, and the third content code, respectively, to distinguish between the three codes.

Wherein determining the corresponding molecular module according to the first address code, the third address code, and the third content code may include:

determining different molecular modules for the first address codes with different values respectively; or (b)

Determining different molecular modules for the third address codes with different values respectively; or (b)

Different molecular modules are determined for the third content codes of different values, respectively.

For example, in the specific example shown in table 13 above, four different first address encodings "0", "1", "2", and "3" may be represented by molecular module a14, molecular module a15, molecular module a16, and molecular module a17, respectively, two different third content encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module a18 and molecular module a19, and two different third address encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module a20 and molecular module a21, respectively, wherein molecular module a14, molecular module a15, molecular module a16, molecular module a17, molecular module a18, molecular module a19, molecular module a20, and molecular module a21 are molecules or molecular fragments, and they are different from each other. Thus, a total of 8 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

Alternatively, determining the corresponding molecular module from the first address code, the third address code, and the third content code may include:

when the first address codes have Na1 different values, respectively determining different molecular modules for the first address codes with (Na 1-1) different values, and enabling the remaining first address codes with one value not to correspond to any molecular module; or (b)

When the third address codes have Na3 different values, respectively determining different molecular modules for the third address codes with (Na 3-1) different values, and enabling the rest third address codes with one value not to correspond to any molecular module; or (b)

When the third content codes have Nc3 different values, different molecular modules are determined for the (Nc 3-1) different values of the third content codes, respectively, and the remaining one value of the third content codes is made not to correspond to any molecular module.

For example, in the specific example shown in Table 13 above, the first address code "0" may be represented by a missing state, i.e., no molecular module corresponds to the first address code "0", and the other three different first address codes "1", "2", and "3" may be represented by molecular module A15, molecular module A16, and molecular module A17, respectively. Furthermore, two different third content encodings "0" and "1" may be similarly represented by molecular module A18 and molecular module A19, and two different third address encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module A20 and molecular module A21, where molecular module A15, molecular module A16, molecular module A17, molecular module A18, molecular module A19, molecular module A20, and molecular module A21 are molecules or molecular fragments, and are each different from each other. Thus, a total of 7 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

In some embodiments, different molecular modules may also be determined for different combinations of values of two of the first address code, the third address code, and the third content code, respectively.

In a specific example, determining the respective sub-modules and the assembly order according to the first address encoding, the third address encoding, and the third content encoding may include:

different molecular modules are determined for the combination of the different values of the third address code and the third content code, respectively.

For example, in the specific example shown in table 13 above, a combination of the third content code of "0" and the third address code of "0" may be represented by the molecular module a22, a combination of the third content code of "0" and the third address code of "1" may be represented by the molecular module a23, a combination of the third content code of "1" and the third address code of "0" may be represented by the molecular module a24, and a combination of the third content code of "1" and the third address code of "1" may be represented by the molecular module a 25. The initial information in table 13 may also be represented entirely in combination of molecular module a14, molecular module a15, molecular module a16, and molecular module a17, which represent the first address code. Thus, a total of 8 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

It can be understood that different molecular modules can be determined for the combination of different values of the first address code and the third address code, respectively, and the initial information can be represented by combining the molecular modules representing the third content code; or different molecular modules can be determined for the combination of different values of the first address code and the third content code respectively, and the initial information can be represented by combining the molecular modules representing the third address code.

Similarly, a missing state may be used to represent a value of a combination of two of the first address code, the third address code, and the third content code. For example, determining the respective molecular module from the first address encoding, the third address encoding, and the third content encoding may include:

when the combination of the third address code and the third content code has Nac3 different values, different molecular modules are determined for the combination of the (Nac 3-1) third address codes and the different values of the third content code, respectively, and the remaining combination of the third address code and the third content code of one value is made not to correspond to any molecular module.

For example, in the specific example shown in table 13 above, a combination of the third content code of "0" and the third address code of "0" may be represented by the missing state, a combination of the third content code of "0" and the third address code of "1" may be represented by the molecular module a23, a combination of the third content code of "1" and the third address code of "0" may be represented by the molecular module a24, and a combination of the third content code of "1" and the third address code of "1" may be represented by the molecular module a 25. The initial information in table 13 may also be represented entirely in combination of molecular module a14, molecular module a15, molecular module a16, and molecular module a17, which represent the first address code. Thus, a total of 7 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, both the first address code and the first content code may also be recoded. Specifically, as shown in fig. 7, step S100 may include:

step S123, recoding each first address code and each first content code respectively to represent a corresponding one of the first address codes by first recoding information having a first preset number of bits and a first preset system, and to represent a corresponding one of the first content codes by second recoding information having a second preset number of bits and a second preset system;

step S133, determining corresponding molecular modules and assembly sequences according to the first recoding information and the second recoding information.

As described above, in some embodiments, the sum of the first preset number of bits and the first preset number of bits (b1+s1) may be less than the maximum possible number of different values of the first address code, and the sum of the second preset number of bits and the second preset number of bits (b2+s2) may be less than the maximum possible number of different values of the first content code, to effectively reduce the total number of molecular modules required to characterize the first address code and the first content code. In addition, the first preset bit of the first preset system is raised to the power of several times (S1 ^B1 ) Can be larger than the maximum possible number of different values of the first address code, and the second preset bit number power of the second preset system (S2 ^B2 ) The maximum possible number of different values of the first content code can be larger than that of the first content code, so that the first recoding information and the second recoding information can respectively represent all possible first address codes and first content codes, and the reliability of the codes is guaranteed.

In some embodiments, determining the corresponding molecular module from the first recoding information and the second recoding information may include:

different molecular modules are determined for the first recoded information and the second recoded information, respectively.

As described above, in some embodiments, different molecular modules may be determined for content on different bits in the first recoded information, respectively, and different molecular modules may be determined for different content on the same bit in the first recoded information, respectively.

Similarly, in some embodiments, different molecular modules may be determined for content on different bits in the second recoded information, respectively, and different molecular modules may be determined for different content on the same bit in the second recoded information, respectively, as described above.

In some embodiments, the first recoded information may also be further represented by a second address code and a second content code, wherein each location in the first recoded information may be represented by a second address code corresponding to the location one-to-one, respectively, and the content at each location in the first recoded information may be represented by a corresponding second content code, respectively, as described above.

Similarly, in some embodiments, the second re-encoded information may be further represented by a third address encoding and a third content encoding, wherein each location in the second re-encoded information may be represented by a third address encoding, respectively, that corresponds one-to-one to the location, and the content at each location in the second re-encoded information may be represented by a corresponding third content encoding, respectively, as described above.

It will be appreciated that in a specific example, different molecular modules may be determined for content on different bits in the first recoded information, respectively, and different molecular modules may be determined for different content on the same bit in the first recoded information, respectively, and different molecular modules may be determined for content on different bits in the second recoded information, respectively, and different molecular modules may be determined for different content on the same bit in the second recoded information, respectively. In addition, the molecular modules corresponding to the first recoding information and the second recoding information, respectively, may be different molecules or molecular fragments.

In another specific example, different molecular modules may be determined for the contents on different bits in the first recoded information, respectively, and different molecular modules may be determined for the different contents on the same bit in the first recoded information, respectively, and for each second recoded information, the second recoded information may be represented by a third address code and a third content code, and the corresponding molecular modules may be determined according to the third address code and the third content code. In addition, the molecular modules corresponding to the first recoding information, the third address code, and the third content code, respectively, may be different molecules or molecular fragments.

In yet another specific example, for each first recoded information, the first recoded information may be represented by a second address code and a second content code, and the corresponding molecular modules are determined according to the second address code and the second content code, and different molecular modules are determined for contents on different bits in the second recoded information, respectively, and different molecular modules are determined for different contents on the same bit in the second recoded information, respectively. In addition, the molecular modules corresponding to the second address code, the second content code, and the second recoding information, respectively, may be different molecules or molecular fragments.

In yet another specific example, for each first recoded information, the first recoded information may be represented by a second address code and a second content code, and the corresponding molecular module is determined according to the second address code and the second content code, and for each second recoded information, the second recoded information may be represented by a third address code and a third content code, and the corresponding molecular module is determined according to the third address code and the third content code.

For example, when the acquired initial information is "10011000", it can be expressed in the form as shown in table 12 in the manner described above. Further, each of the first address codes and each of the first content codes may be recoded, and the first recoded information may be represented by a second address code and a second content code, and the second recoded information may be represented by a third address code and a third content code, as shown in table 14 below:

TABLE 14

Wherein the second content code, the second address code, the third content code and the third address code each have two different values of "0" and "1".

Further, different molecular modules may be determined for the second address code, the second content code, the third address code, and the third content code, respectively, to distinguish between the codes.

Determining different molecular modules for the second content codes with different values respectively; or (b)

For example, in the specific example shown in table 14 above, two different second address encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module A5 and molecular module A6, two different second content encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module A3 and molecular module A4, two different third address encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module a20 and molecular module a21, and two different third content encodings "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module a18 and molecular module a19, respectively, wherein molecular module A5, molecular module A6, molecular module A3, molecular module A4, molecular module a20, molecular module a21, molecular module a18, and molecular module a19 are molecules or molecular fragments, and they are each different from each other. Thus, a total of 8 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

Alternatively, determining the corresponding molecular module based on the first recoding information and the second recoding information may include:

When the second content codes have Nc2 different values, respectively determining different molecular modules for the (Nc 2-1) second content codes with different values, and enabling the remaining second content codes with one value not to correspond to any molecular module; or (b)

That is, a value of a code may not correspond to any molecular module, but may be expressed by a missing state, which may reduce the number of kinds of molecular modules required.

For example, in the specific example shown in table 14 above, the second address code "0" may be represented by a missing state, i.e., no molecular module corresponds to the second address code "0", and the second address code "1" may be represented by molecular module A6, two different second content codes "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module A3 and molecular module A4, two different third address codes "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module a20 and molecular module a21, and two different third content codes "0" and "1" may be represented by molecular module a18 and molecular module a19, wherein molecular module A6, molecular module A3, molecular module A4, molecular module a20, molecular module a21, molecular module a18, and molecular module a19 are molecules or molecular fragments, and they are different from each other. Thus, a total of 7 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

In some embodiments, different molecular modules may also be determined for different combinations of values of two or three of the second address code, the second content code, the third address code, and the third content code, respectively.

In a specific example, determining the respective molecular modules and assembly order from the first recoding information and the second recoding information may include:

Determining different molecular modules for the combination of different values of the second address code and the second content code respectively; or (b)

For example, in the specific example shown in table 14 above, a combination in which the second content code is "0" and the second address code is "0" may be represented by a molecular module A8, a combination in which the second content code is "0" and the second address code is "1" may be represented by a molecular module A9, a combination in which the second content code is "1" and the second address code is "0" may be represented by a molecular module a11, and a combination in which the second content code is "1" and the second address code is "1" may be represented by a molecular module a 12. In addition, a combination of the third content code of "0" and the third address code of "0" may be expressed by a molecular module a22, a combination of the third content code of "0" and the third address code of "1" may be expressed by a molecular module a23, a combination of the third content code of "1" and the third address code of "0" may be expressed by a molecular module a24, and a combination of the third content code of "1" and the third address code of "1" may be expressed by a molecular module a 25.

In some embodiments, the initial information of 8-bit 2 system may be represented by molecular module A8, molecular module A9, molecular module a10, molecular module a11, molecular module a22, molecular module a23, molecular module a24, and molecular module a 25. Alternatively, the initial information of 8-bit 2 system may be represented by molecular module A8, molecular module A9, molecular module a10, molecular module a11, molecular module a20, molecular module a21, molecular module a18, and molecular module a 19. Alternatively, the initial information of 8-bit 2 system may be represented by the molecular modules A3, A4, A5, A6, a22, a23, a24, and a 25.

It will be appreciated that the corresponding molecular modules may also be determined based on a combination of two or three other codes among the second address code, the second content code, the third address code, and the third content code, which will not be described in detail herein.

Similarly, a missing state may be used to represent a value of a combination of the second address code, the second content code, the third address code, and the third content code. In a specific example, determining the corresponding molecular module from the first recoding information and the second recoding information may include:

When the combination of the second address code and the second content code has Nac2 different values, respectively determining different molecular modules for the (Nac 2-1) second address code and the second content code different values, and enabling the remaining combination of the second address code and the second content code with one value not to correspond to any molecular module; or (b)

For example, in the specific example shown in table 14 above, a combination of the third content code of "0" and the third address code of "0" may be represented by the missing state, a combination of the third content code of "0" and the third address code of "1" may be represented by the molecular module a23, a combination of the third content code of "1" and the third address code of "0" may be represented by the molecular module a24, and a combination of the third content code of "1" and the third address code of "1" may be represented by the molecular module a 25. The initial information in table 14 may also be represented entirely by combining the molecular module a10, the molecular module a11, the molecular module a12, and the molecular module a13, which represent combinations of different values of the second content code and the second address code. Thus, a total of 7 different molecular modules are required to represent the initial information in 8-bit 2-system.

In exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the molecular moiety may include deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), peptides, organic polymers, small organic molecules, carbon nanomaterials, inorganics, non-natural nucleotides, modified nucleotides, or synthetic nucleotides, and the like. In storing information, it relates to the assembly of different molecular modules representing content coding and address coding, which can be assembled together by covalent bonds, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, intermolecular forces, hydrophobic forces, base complementary pairing, etc.

Wherein, the different molecular modules representing different values of the same content code or address code can be the same type of molecular module, for example, all the molecular modules are DNA. Alternatively, different molecular modules representing different values of the same content code or address code may be different types of molecular modules, for example two different values of one content code are represented by one DNA and one RNA, respectively. In addition, the molecular modules representing different kinds of content codes or address codes may be the same type of molecular module, for example, all of the content codes and address codes are represented by different RNAs. Alternatively, different types of content codes and address codes may be represented by different types of molecular modules, respectively, such as content codes represented by RNA, address codes represented by DNA, and the like.

In assembling the molecular modules representing the various encodings in sequence, the molecular modules representing the address encodings may be assembled in front of, behind, or interposed between the molecular modules representing the corresponding content encodings, without limitation. In addition, a molecular module representing a certain address code or content code may also include a plurality of molecular fragments, and these molecular fragments may also be arranged at intervals. For example, a molecular module representing a second address code may be assembled in front of, behind, or interposed between a molecular module representing a corresponding second content code.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, information is stored according to content-address pairs, and by recoding the address and/or content of the information, information storage is realized by repeatedly using the molecular modules in the prefabricated molecular module library to perform large-scale parallel assembly, compared with the mode of synthesizing DNA by growing nucleotides one by one, the number of types of the required molecular modules is greatly reduced, and the parallel assembly greatly improves the combination efficiency, thereby reducing the storage difficulty and improving the storage efficiency. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, other ways may be employed to determine the corresponding molecular modules and assembly order based on the information to be stored, without limitation.

Returning to fig. 1, the molecular module assembly method may further include:

step S200, generating an assembly signal according to the determined molecular modules and the assembly sequence; and

step S300, based on the assembly signal, the molecular module is assembled into a molecule for storing information by the molecular module assembling apparatus.

Wherein the specific form of the assembly signal may be determined in accordance with the molecular module assembly device and the assembly signal may comprise one or more signals for respective control of corresponding components in the molecular module assembly device, thereby driving the assembly of the molecular modules to operate at least partially automatically.

In exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a molecular module assembly apparatus may drive movement of a droplet containing a molecular module based on a dielectric wetting effect, thereby assembling a plurality of molecular modules into a molecule for storing information. As shown in fig. 8, the molecular module assembling apparatus may include a plurality of microfluidic devices 100, and the plurality of microfluidic devices 100 may be arranged in an array. In the specific example shown in fig. 8, the molecular module assembly apparatus includes a total of 7×12 microfluidic devices 100, and the 84 microfluidic devices 100 are arranged in a rectangular array. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the number of rows and columns of the array of microfluidic devices 100 may be varied as desired, and that a plurality of microfluidic devices 100 may be arranged in other non-rectangular arrays to meet the corresponding needs, without limitation.

Further, in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, the molecular module assembly apparatus may further include a plurality of droplet sources 200, each droplet source 200 of the plurality of droplet sources 200 may be configured to provide a droplet containing a corresponding molecular module, respectively. Wherein the droplet source 200 provides droplets of a size on the order of picoliters to microliters, for example, from 10 picoliters to 100 microliters in volume. In a particular example, the molecular modules contained in droplets provided by different droplet sources 200 may be different. The number of such droplet sources 200 may be equal to the number of kinds of molecular modules contained in the molecule for storing information. In another specific example, to increase the efficiency of assembly of molecular modules, the molecular modules contained in the droplets provided by some droplet sources 200 may be identical to more efficiently provide, for example, more frequently used molecular modules. In addition, during assembly of molecular modules, it may also be desirable to add other molecular modules (e.g., ligases) for ligation, etc., between certain molecular modules, and accordingly, some droplet sources 200 may also provide droplets comprising such molecular modules. Typically, the droplet source 200 may be disposed proximate to a portion of the microfluidic devices 100 of the plurality of microfluidic devices 100 to provide droplets to the respective microfluidic devices 100. In the specific example shown in fig. 8, in order to reserve a sufficient space for the assembly of the molecular modules, the droplet source 200 may be intensively disposed on one side of the molecular module assembly apparatus. However, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the position of the droplet source 200 in the molecular module assembly device may be varied accordingly, depending on the desired droplet travel path, and is not limited in this regard. In addition, it is also understood that in some embodiments, large droplets containing various molecular modules may be provided directly on portions of the microfluidic device 100, from which small droplets actually involved in the assembly may be separated in a subsequent assembly step, in which case no dedicated droplet source may be provided in the molecular module assembly device.

As shown in fig. 9 to 11, each microfluidic device 100 may include a first electrode 111 and a second electrode 121, and each microfluidic device 100 may be configured to control movement of a droplet 900 including a molecular module in the microfluidic device 100 by a voltage applied between the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121, such that at least two droplets in a molecular module assembly apparatus are mixed to assemble at least two molecular modules.

In particular, fig. 9 and 10 illustrate different states of a droplet 900 in one microfluidic device 100. Wherein fig. 9 and 10 each depict two microfluidic devices 100 in a molecular module assembly apparatus (the two microfluidic devices are spaced apart for identification by dashed lines in the figures). In the microfluidic device 100 shown in fig. 9 and 10, the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121 in the same microfluidic device 100 are disposed on different planes, and the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121 are disposed opposite to each other.

In fig. 9, no voltage is applied between the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121 of both microfluidic devices 100, and thus the contact angle of the droplet 900 may be represented as θ1.

In fig. 10, no voltage is applied between the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121 of the microfluidic device 100 on the left, and a voltage U is applied between the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121 of the microfluidic device 100 on the right, so that the contact angle on the right of the droplet 900 decreases from θ1 to θ2 due to the dielectric wetting effect, in other words, wettability of the droplet 900 by the microfluidic device 100 on the right becomes more hydrophilic. When the contact angle between the droplet 900 and the first electrode 111 of the microfluidic device 100 on the right side is reduced to a certain extent, the droplet 900 will move in the direction of the microfluidic device 100 to which the voltage is applied. Specifically, the relationship between the contact angle of the droplet and the voltage U applied to the first electrode (here, the second electrode is grounded) satisfies Wherein ε _r Represents the relative permittivity epsilon of the first dielectric layer (described in detail later) ₀ Represents the vacuum dielectric constant, d represents the thickness of the first dielectric layer, toGamma, gamma _lg Indicating the gas-liquid surface tension. In this way, by applying voltages to the corresponding microfluidic devices 100 according to a preset timing based on the dielectric wetting effect, the droplets 900 in the molecular module assembling apparatus can be driven to move according to a desired path, thereby achieving the assembly of the molecular modules.

Furthermore, while in the simplest microfluidic device 100, the droplet 900 may be in direct contact with the first electrode 111 and/or the second electrode 121, this typically results in an electrolytic reaction between the droplet 900 and the electrode, which in turn results in a change of the molecular modules contained in the droplet 900. To address this issue, in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9 and 10, the microfluidic device 100 may further include at least one of the first dielectric layer 112 and the second dielectric layer 122. Wherein the first dielectric layer 112 may be provided on a side of the first electrode 111 closer to the droplet 900. Similarly, a second dielectric layer 122 may be provided on the side of the second conductive electrode 121 closer to the droplet 900. The dielectric layer may be formed of one or more dielectric materials. In a specific example, if a voltage is applied to the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121 is grounded, the second dielectric layer 122 may be omitted. The dielectric layer can effectively avoid electrolytic reactions and the like caused by direct contact of the droplets with the electrodes, and can also act as a dielectric between adjacent electrodes so that the individual electrodes can be individually controlled, thereby ensuring that assembly of the molecular module can proceed in a desired manner.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first dielectric layer 112 and the second dielectric layer 122 may be formed of a hydrophobic material, for example, a dielectric material including an organic dielectric material or the like. In this case, the dielectric layer may be in direct contact with the droplets, and since the surface of the dielectric layer is hydrophobic, spreading of the droplets on the dielectric layer may be avoided, so that the corresponding molecular modules may be well confined in the droplets without undesired flow or mixing occurring.

In some embodiments, particularly where the wettability of the first dielectric layer 112 and/or the second dielectric layer 122 itself is relatively good, as shown in fig. 9 and 10, the microfluidic device 100 may further include at least one of a first hydrophobic layer 113 and a second hydrophobic layer 123. Wherein the first hydrophobic layer 113 may be provided on a side of the first dielectric layer 112 closer to the droplet 900, in direct contact with the droplet 900. Similarly, a second hydrophobic layer 123 may be provided on the side of the second dielectric layer 122 closer to the droplet 900 in direct contact with the droplet 900. By providing the first hydrophobic layer 113 and/or the second hydrophobic layer 123, the droplet 900 in the molecular module assembly device can be kept in a spherical or substantially spherical shape to avoid spreading of the droplet on the dielectric layer, so that the corresponding molecular module can be well confined in the droplet without undesired flow or mixing.

Further, in some embodiments, the molecular module assembly apparatus may further include a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other, and the first electrode 111, the first dielectric layer 112, and the first hydrophobic layer 113, which may be present, of the plurality of microfluidic devices may be disposed on the first substrate. Similarly, a second electrode 121, a second dielectric layer 122, if present, and a second hydrophobic layer 123 in the plurality of microfluidic devices may be disposed on the second substrate. The substrate may serve as a support for the microfluidic device. Of course, it is understood that the corresponding substrate may not be provided if the first electrode and/or the second electrode, etc. itself has sufficient mechanical strength.

In some embodiments, the first and second substrates disposed opposite each other may be separated by a number of spacers, and the first and second substrates may be filled with air, i.e., droplets move in the air.

In some embodiments, the microfluidic device may further include a fluid-filled layer that may be disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the fluid-filled layer being incompatible with the droplets, and the droplets may be configured to move within the fluid-filled layer. For example, silicone oil may be filled between the first substrate and the second substrate to make the droplet move more smoothly, reduce the voltage required to drive the droplet to move, and improve the assembly efficiency. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a suitable surfactant may be added to the droplets to reduce the voltage required to drive the movement of the droplets.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 11, the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121 in the same microfluidic device 100 may be disposed on the same plane. By disposing the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121 on the same plane, the three-dimensional structure of the microfluidic device 100 can be simplified, and movement of the droplets can be more conveniently observed and monitored during operation of the molecular module assembly apparatus.

As shown in fig. 11, in some embodiments, the microfluidic device 100 may further include a dielectric layer 102, which dielectric layer 102 may be provided on the side of the first electrode 111 and the second electrode 121 closer to the droplet. The dielectric layer 102 may be formed of one or more dielectric materials to effectively avoid electrolytic reactions, etc., caused by droplets directly contacting the electrodes, and may also serve as a dielectric between adjacent electrodes to enable individual electrodes to be controlled individually to ensure that assembly of the molecular module can proceed in a desired manner.

In some embodiments, the dielectric layer 102 may be formed of a hydrophobic material, for example, a dielectric material including an organic dielectric material or the like. In this case, the dielectric layer 102 may be in direct contact with the droplet, and since the surface of the dielectric layer 102 is hydrophobic, spreading of the droplet on the dielectric layer 102 may be avoided, so that the corresponding molecular module may be well confined in the droplet without undesired flow or mixing.

In some embodiments, particularly where the dielectric layer 102 itself is relatively wettable, the microfluidic device 100 may further include a hydrophobic layer 103, as shown in fig. 11. Wherein the hydrophobic layer 103 may be provided on a side of the dielectric layer 102 closer to the droplet, in direct contact with the droplet. By providing the hydrophobic layer 103, the droplets in the molecular module assembly device can be kept in a spherical or substantially spherical shape to avoid spreading of the droplets on the dielectric layer, so that the corresponding molecular modules can be well confined in the droplets without undesired flow or mixing.

Further, in some embodiments, the molecular module assembly device may further include a substrate on which the first electrode 111, the second electrode 121, and the dielectric layer 102 and the hydrophobic layer 103, if present, may be disposed. The substrate may serve as a support for the microfluidic device. Of course, it is understood that the corresponding substrate may not be provided if the first electrode and/or the second electrode, etc. itself has sufficient mechanical strength.

In other embodiments, the molecular module assembly apparatus may include a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other, wherein a portion of the plurality of microfluidic devices may be disposed on the first substrate and another portion of the plurality of microfluidic devices may be disposed on the second substrate.

As described above, the oppositely disposed first and second substrates may be separated by a number of spacers, and the first and second substrates may be filled with air, i.e., droplets move in the air.

Similarly, the microfluidic device may also include a fluid-filled layer, which may be disposed between the first and second substrates, the fluid-filled layer being incompatible with the droplets, and the droplets may be configured to move within the fluid-filled layer.

In the molecular module assembling apparatus in which the first and second electrodes are disposed opposite to each other as described above, or in which microfluidic devices are included, as shown in fig. 12, the droplet 900 may be configured to move along at least one of the first and second substrates 110 and 120 to make full use of a vertical space in the molecular module assembling apparatus, and particularly in the case where a plurality of droplets 900 move on the first and second substrates 110 and 120 at the same time, the assembling efficiency of the molecular module may be effectively improved. For example, considering that a certain reaction time is required to sufficiently react the molecular modules in the droplets from different droplet sources, it is possible to cause the droplets in the reaction to be on the second substrate 120 to perform the reaction while moving the unmixed droplets or the mixed droplets to a desired position along the first substrate 110, i.e., transfer of the droplets using the first substrate 110, and reaction of the molecular modules using the second substrate 120.

In some embodiments, the droplet 900 may be configured to move between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 under the influence of electrostatic forces. For example, by applying a voltage in a corresponding region of the second substrate 120 located above, the droplet 900 under that region may be caused to be attracted to the second substrate 120. In the case where the droplet 900 itself is sufficiently small, after the droplet 900 is attracted to the second substrate 120 by the electrostatic force, the voltage that generated the electrostatic force can be removed and the droplet 900 can still remain moving on the second substrate 120 without falling back onto the first substrate 110 by gravity.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to achieve efficient control of the individual microfluidic devices 100, each microfluidic device 100 may further include a switching device 130, as shown in fig. 13. Wherein one of a source (S) and a drain (D) of the switching device 130 may be connected to the first electrode 111 of the microfluidic device 100, the other of the source (S) and the drain (D) of the switching device 100 may be configured to receive a corresponding data signal (the drain (D) of the switching device is shown connected to the first electrode 111 in fig. 13, and the source (S) is used to receive the data signal), and a gate (G) of the switching device may be configured to receive a corresponding scan signal. The scan signal may be transmitted by the scan line 200 in the molecular module assembling apparatus, and the data signal may be transmitted by the data line 300 in the molecular module assembling apparatus.

Further, in the specific example of fig. 13, the switching devices 130 in the microfluidic devices 100 in the same row may be connected to the same scan line 200 for transmitting the scan signal, and the switching devices 130 in the microfluidic devices 100 in different rows may be connected to different scan lines 200, respectively. More specifically, the gates of the switching devices 130 in the same row are connected to the same scan line 200, and the gates of the switching devices 130 in different rows are connected to different scan lines 200. In addition, the switching devices 130 in the same column of the microfluidic devices 100 may be connected to the same data line 300 for transmitting data signals, and the switching devices 130 in different columns of the microfluidic devices 100 may be connected to different data lines 300, respectively. More specifically, the sources (or drains) of the switching devices 130 in the same column are connected to the same data line 300, and the sources (or drains) of the switching devices 130 in different columns are connected to different data lines 300. In this way, each microfluidic device 100 in the molecular module assembly device can be efficiently and independently controlled such that droplets can move along a desired path.

In a specific example, assuming that when the gate electrode of the switching device 130 receives a high level voltage, the source electrode and the drain electrode thereof are turned on, and when the first electrode 111 receives a high level voltage, the contact angle of a droplet in the microfluidic device will become small and move, then when both the scan line 200 and the data line 300 connected to the microfluidic device 100 output a high level voltage, the droplet corresponding to the microfluidic device 100 will move. Conversely, as long as one of the scan line 200 and the data line 300 connected to the microfluidic device 100 outputs a low level voltage, the droplet corresponding to the microfluidic device 100 will remain stationary. Hereinafter, specific explanation will be made on the assumption that the above is made. However, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the switching device 130 may also be turned on between the source and drain if its gate receives a low level voltage; alternatively, when the first electrode 111 receives a low level voltage, the contact angle of the droplet in the microfluidic device will become smaller and move, in which case, the data signal and the scanning signal are only adjusted accordingly to make the droplet move along the desired path, which will not be described here.

In some embodiments, switching device 130 may include a thin film transistor. In this case, a plurality of microfluidic devices in the molecular module assembly device may be prepared based on the manner in which the thin film transistor array is prepared. Since the size of each cell in the thin film transistor array can be on the order of millimeters or micrometers, the dimensions of each microfluidic device can be reduced from the order of centimeters to the order of millimeters or micrometers, and the size of such microfluidic devices can be greatly reduced while finer control over droplet movement can be achieved.

In other embodiments, switching device 130 may include an organic electrochemical transistor. Similarly, a plurality of microfluidic devices in a molecular module assembly device may be prepared based on the manner in which the organic electrochemical transistor array is prepared, and the size of each microfluidic device may be sufficiently small while achieving fine control of droplet movement. Furthermore, since the material of the organic electrochemical transistor itself is generally hydrophobic, in this case, the provision of a hydrophobic layer on the organic electrochemical transistor array layer may also be omitted to further simplify the structure of the molecular module assembly device.

Fig. 14 to 19 show an assembling process of a molecular module in a specific example. In the following description, coordinates of the microfluidic device 100 located in the m-th column from left to right and the n-th row from top to bottom will be expressed as (m, n). As shown in fig. 14, the first droplet source 200 may output a first droplet 900 containing a first molecular module, control the scan signal on the first row scan line to be at a high voltage, and control the data signals on the second, third, and fourth column data lines to be sequentially at a high voltage, may cause the first droplet to move along (as indicated by the dashed arrows) and rest at (4, 1) the microfluidic devices at coordinates (1, 1), (2, 1), (3, 1), and (4, 1).

As shown in fig. 15, the second droplet source 200 may output a second droplet 900 containing a second molecular module, by controlling the scanning signals on the third row, the second row, and the first row scanning lines to be sequentially at a high voltage, and controlling the data signals on the first column data lines to be at a high voltage, the second droplet may be caused to move along the microfluidic devices having coordinates (1, 3), (1, 2), and (1, 1), and then controlling the scanning signals on the first row scanning lines to be at a high voltage, and controlling the data signals on the second, third, and fourth column data lines to be sequentially at a high voltage, the second droplet may be caused to move along the microfluidic devices having coordinates (1, 1), (2, 1), (3, 1), and (4, 1) (as indicated by the dotted arrows), and to rest at the microfluidic devices having coordinates (4, 1), and mix with the first droplet. After the first droplet is mixed with the second droplet, the first molecular module and the second molecular module therein will react and assemble.

Similarly, as shown in fig. 16, the third droplet source 200 may output a third droplet 900 containing a third molecular module, and by controlling the levels of the scan signals and the data signals on the scan lines and the data lines connected to the respective microfluidic devices, the third droplet may be moved in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow and mixed with the previous first droplet and second droplet, thereby allowing the third molecular module to participate in the assembly process.

As shown in fig. 17, the mixed droplets may move in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow until reaching the position shown in fig. 18. During movement, the three molecular modules may mix better to react, producing molecules corresponding to the information to be stored.

In some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices may be further configured such that the mixed droplets move along a preset path, which may include at least one of a straight path, a broken line path, and a reciprocating path, and may also include other curved paths. By moving the mixed droplets along a predetermined path, on the one hand, more efficient and uniform assembly of the various molecular modules in the droplets can be facilitated, and on the other hand, the droplets can be moved to certain specific locations (e.g., to locations having specific temperatures as described below) to better complete the assembly reaction.

As shown in fig. 19, the droplets may be mixed in the manner described above to generate other molecules for storing information, and these molecules may be moved to corresponding positions in the molecular module assembly apparatus for further separation or the like. It will be appreciated that the previously mixed or assembled droplets or molecules may be moved to a position further from the droplet source in order to reserve sufficient space for the mixing of subsequent droplets or assembly of molecules, and to carry out the assembly process of a plurality of molecules as parallel as possible.

To further increase the assembly efficiency of the molecular module, in some embodiments, at least two of the plurality of microfluidic devices may be configured such that droplets therein move simultaneously. As described above, since the same row of microfluidic devices shares one scanning line and the same column of microfluidic devices shares one data line, it is only necessary to ensure that the movement of droplets in the same row or column does not collide when designing the movement paths of a plurality of droplets. In a particular example, droplets in the same row may be moved simultaneously. In this case, the scan signal on the scan line corresponding to this row may be in a high-level voltage state, and the data signals on the data lines corresponding to the columns may be simultaneously in a high-level voltage state, so that the liquid droplets on the columns may be simultaneously moved.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 20-22, at least two microfluidic devices 100 of the plurality of microfluidic devices 100 may be configured such that two portions of a droplet move in different directions, respectively (as indicated by the dashed arrows in fig. 20), to split the droplet.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 23, at least one microfluidic device 100 of the plurality of microfluidic devices 100 may further include a temperature control device 140, which temperature control device 140 may be configured to control the temperature of droplets in the at least one microfluidic device 100. In a specific example, the temperature control device 140 may include, for example, a micro-resistor.

The temperature controlling means 140 is provided in consideration of the fact that there may be a specific requirement for the reaction temperature in the assembly reaction of some molecular modules, and accordingly, it is necessary to control the temperature of the mixed droplets. Assuming that in a specific assembly reaction, the mixed droplets are required to react at a first temperature T1 for a first time T1, then at a second temperature T2 for a second time T2, and finally at a third temperature T3 for a third time T3, the temperature of the mixed droplets can be controlled in two ways.

In one way, two areas with temperature controlling means 140 may be provided in the molecular module assembly device, by applying corresponding scanning signals and data signals, such that the mixed droplets first stay in the area with the first temperature T1 for a first time T1; then, the droplet is moved to stay in the region having the second temperature T2 for the second time T2, and at the same time, the temperature of the region where the droplet was previously located may be adjusted from the first temperature T1 to the third temperature T3; finally, the droplets are returned to the region currently having the third temperature T3 for a third time T3 to complete the reaction. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, three or more regions of different temperatures may also be provided in the molecular module assembly device and the droplets may be allowed to dwell in the desired temperature region for the desired time by application of corresponding scan and data signals.

In another way, the position of the droplets obtained by mixing may be kept unchanged, while the temperature of the region of the molecular module assembly device containing the temperature controlling device 140 is changed. Specifically, the temperature of the corresponding region may be adjusted to the first temperature T1 for the first time T1, then rapidly adjusted to the second temperature T2 for the second time T2, and finally rapidly adjusted to the third temperature T3 for the third time T3 to complete the reaction.

Further, to monitor the temperature of the temperature control device, at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices may further comprise a temperature sensor, which may be configured to sense the temperature of the droplet in the at least one microfluidic device.

In the molecular module assembling equipment disclosed by the invention, the movement of the liquid drop containing the molecular module is controlled based on the dielectric wetting effect, and the high-flux positioning quantitative distribution of the liquid drop containing the molecular module can be realized by applying corresponding assembling signals containing, for example, scanning signals and data signals to each microfluidic device in the microfluidic device array, so that the assembling of the molecular module can be realized simply, efficiently and accurately, and the information storage in molecules is realized.

In addition to application to the DNA data storage methods described herein, the method may be used in other high-throughput biochemical reactions including, but not limited to, DNA assembly, cloning, plasmid construction, PCR amplification, and the like.

It is noted that the flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

In general, the various example embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, firmware, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated or described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The words "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", "over", "under" and the like in the description and in the claims, if present, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the disclosure described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.

As used herein, the word "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not as a "model" to be replicated accurately. Any implementation described herein by way of example is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the detailed description.

As used herein, the term "substantially" is intended to encompass any minor variation due to design or manufacturing imperfections, tolerances of the device or component, environmental impact and/or other factors. The word "substantially" also allows for differences from perfect or ideal situations due to parasitics, noise, and other practical considerations that may be present in a practical implementation.

In addition, the foregoing description may refer to elements or nodes or features being "connected" or "coupled" together. As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, "connected" means that one element/node/feature is directly connected (or in direct communication) electrically, mechanically, logically or otherwise with another element/node/feature. Similarly, unless expressly stated otherwise, "coupled" means that one element/node/feature may be mechanically, electrically, logically, or otherwise joined with another element/node/feature in a direct or indirect manner to allow interactions, even though the two features may not be directly connected. That is, "coupled" is intended to include both direct and indirect coupling of elements or other features, including connections utilizing one or more intermediate elements.

In addition, for reference purposes only, the terms "first," "second," and the like may also be used herein, and are thus not intended to be limiting. For example, the terms "first," "second," and other such numerical terms referring to structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.

It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, and/or groups thereof.

In this disclosure, the term "providing" is used in a broad sense to cover all ways of obtaining an object, and thus "providing an object" includes, but is not limited to, "purchasing," "preparing/manufacturing," "arranging/setting," "installing/assembling," and/or "ordering" an object, etc.

Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any desired manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that various modifications might be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A molecular module assembling apparatus, characterized in that the molecular module assembling apparatus comprises:

2. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein each microfluidic device further comprises:

3. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 2, wherein the switching device comprises at least one of a thin film transistor and an electromechanical chemistry transistor.

4. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of microfluidic devices are arranged in a rectangular array.

5. The molecular module assembling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the switching devices in the same row of the microfluidic devices are connected to the same scanning line for transmitting the scanning signal, and the switching devices in different rows of the microfluidic devices are connected to different scanning lines, respectively; and

6. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of microfluidic devices are configured such that droplets therein move simultaneously.

7. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of microfluidic devices are configured such that two portions of a droplet move in different directions, respectively, to split the droplet.

8. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices is configured to move droplets formed by mixing along a preset path.

9. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pre-set path comprises at least one of a straight path, a polyline path, and a reciprocating path.

10. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode in the same microfluidic device are disposed on the same plane.

11. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices further comprises:

12. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 11, wherein the dielectric layer is formed of a hydrophobic material.

13. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices further comprises:

14. The molecular module assembling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the molecular module assembling apparatus further comprises:

15. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode in the same microfluidic device are disposed on different planes, and the first electrode and the second electrode are disposed opposite each other.

16. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices further comprises:

17. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first dielectric layer is formed of a hydrophobic material; and/or

The second dielectric layer is formed of a hydrophobic material.

18. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices further comprises:

19. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 15, wherein the molecular module assembly apparatus further comprises:

20. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 14 or 19, wherein a droplet is configured to move along at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate.

21. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 20, wherein a droplet is configured to move between the first substrate and the second substrate under the influence of electrostatic forces.

22. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 14 or 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices further comprises:

23. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices further comprises:

24. The molecular module assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of microfluidic devices further comprises:

25. The molecular module assembling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the molecular module assembling apparatus further comprises:

26. A molecular module assembling method, characterized in that the molecular module assembling method comprises:

assembling the molecular modules into molecules for storing information using a molecular module assembly device based on the assembly signal, wherein the molecular module assembly device comprises the molecular module assembly device according to any one of claims 1 to 25, and the assembly signal is configured to generate a voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode of the microfluidic device.

27. The molecular module assembly method of claim 26, wherein determining the corresponding molecular modules and assembly order based on the initial information to be stored comprises:

28. The molecular module assembly method of claim 26, wherein determining the corresponding molecular modules and assembly order based on the initial information to be stored comprises:

29. The molecular module assembly method of claim 26, wherein determining the corresponding molecular modules and assembly order based on the initial information to be stored comprises: