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High Throughput Microfluidic Rapid and Low Cost Prototyping Packaging Methods
Published on: December 23, 2013
Rapid Prototyping of Microfluidic Systems in Poly(dimethylsiloxane)
D C Duffy1, J C McDonald, O J Schueller
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.
Analytical Chemistry
|June 8, 2011
Summary
Rapid prototyping enables quick fabrication of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic devices within 24 hours. These devices demonstrate effective separation of biomolecules via capillary electrophoresis.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Microfluidics
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Microfluidic systems offer miniaturization advantages for various applications.
- Fabricating microfluidic devices, especially from elastomers like poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), can be time-consuming.
- Rapid and reliable fabrication methods are crucial for advancing microfluidic technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a rapid prototyping procedure for designing and fabricating microfluidic systems in PDMS.
- To enable sealing of PDMS microfluidic devices within 24 hours.
- To evaluate the performance of rapidly prototyped microfluidic systems.
Main Methods:
- Computer-aided design (CAD) for microchannel network design.
- Photolithography using a high-resolution printed mask to create a photoresist master.
- PDMS casting against the master to create microfluidic channels.
- Oxygen plasma oxidation for irreversible sealing of PDMS and to other substrates.
- Fabrication of a miniaturized capillary electrophoresis system for performance evaluation.
Main Results:
- Successful fabrication of PDMS microfluidic systems in under 24 hours.
- Achieved irreversible and conformal sealing of PDMS using oxygen plasma treatment.
- Demonstrated compatibility of oxidized PDMS with various substrates (glass, silicon, polystyrene).
- Oxidized PDMS channels exhibited negatively charged walls, facilitating electroosmotic pumping.
- Miniaturized capillary electrophoresis system achieved comparable separation resolution to fused silica capillaries for amino acids, proteins, and DNA.
Conclusions:
- The described rapid prototyping technique significantly reduces fabrication time for PDMS microfluidic devices.
- The method provides robust sealing and versatile substrate compatibility.
- The fabricated systems are suitable for high-resolution separations, demonstrating the potential of rapid prototyping in microfluidics and bioanalysis.
