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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
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Fabrication of Refractive-index-matched Devices for Biomedical Microfluidics
Published on: September 10, 2018
Rapid microfabrication of solvent-resistant biocompatible microfluidic devices
Lung-Hsin Hung1, Robert Lin, Abraham Phillip Lee
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California at Irvine, 3120 Natural Sciences II, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. lhung@uci.edu
Lab on a Chip
|May 24, 2008
Summary
Researchers developed a fast, affordable method to create 3D microfluidic devices using thiolene. These solvent-resistant devices are suitable for chemical analysis and droplet generation, offering versatile surface properties.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Microfluidic devices are essential for various applications, but fabrication often involves complex, costly methods.
- Existing materials may lack resistance to organic solvents or biocompatibility, limiting their use.
- Developing robust, versatile microfluidic platforms is crucial for advancing chemical synthesis, analysis, and biological studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a rapid, simple, and low-cost fabrication technique for microfluidic devices.
- To develop solvent-resistant and biocompatible microfluidic devices with three-dimensional geometries.
- To demonstrate the utility of these devices in handling volatile organic solvents and generating emulsions.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of microfluidic devices using thiolene-based materials.
- Replication from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) masters ensuring high molding fidelity.
- Surface modification to achieve hydrophobic or hydrophilic properties.
- Demonstration of monodisperse organic solvent droplet generation and assessment of cell adhesion properties.
Main Results:
- Successful fabrication of solvent-resistant and biocompatible microfluidic devices with 3D geometries.
- High molding fidelity achieved using thiolene replicated from PDMS masters.
- Demonstrated compatibility with volatile organic solvents for synthesis and analysis.
- Reproducible generation of monodisperse organic solvent droplets without device swelling.
- Thiolene surfaces showed reduced cell adhesion while not affecting adjacent glass substrate cell behavior.
Conclusions:
- The developed thiolene-based microfluidic devices offer a rapid, simple, and cost-effective solution for handling organic solvents.
- The fabricated devices exhibit excellent solvent resistance, biocompatibility, and tunable surface properties, making them suitable for diverse applications.
- This fabrication method provides a versatile platform for microfluidic applications, including chemical synthesis, analysis, and emulsion generation.
