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Construction of microfluidic chips using polydimethylsiloxane for adhesive bonding.
Hongkai Wu1, Bo Huang, Richard N Zare
1Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5080, USA.
Lab on a Chip
|November 16, 2005
Summary
A novel method uses polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) prepolymer to bond microfluidic devices. This technique creates reliable seals for both soft and hard materials with minimal impact on fluid flow.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Microfluidics
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Microfluidic devices require robust sealing for reliable operation.
- Traditional bonding methods can be complex, material-specific, or introduce unwanted effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a general, easy-to-use method for sealing microfluidic channels.
- To assess the impact of the bonding layer on microfluidic performance, specifically electroosmotic flow (EOF).
Main Methods:
- Coating a glass slide with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) prepolymer.
- Transferring the prepolymer to a patterned substrate and bonding with a flat plate via thermal curing.
- Demonstrating the method on PDMS-PDMS and glass-glass microfluidic channels.
Main Results:
- A thin (200-500 nm) PDMS adhesive layer effectively seals microfluidic channels (10-500 microm) without voids or excess material.
- The PDMS layer has a negligible effect on the electroosmotic flow (EOF) rate in glass channels.
- Successful bonding was achieved for both soft (PDMS) and hard (glass) materials.
Conclusions:
- The developed thermocuring method offers a versatile and straightforward approach for microfluidic device fabrication.
- This technique is suitable for bonding various materials and maintains the integrity of microfluidic channel performance.
- The method's generality and ease of use make it advantageous for microfluidic applications.