From functional structure to packaging: full-printing fabrication of a microfluidic chip

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Microfluidic devices offer miniaturized platforms for various applications.
• Traditional fabrication methods can be time-consuming and expensive.
• Need for rapid prototyping and cost-effective production of lab-on-chip systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a fully-printed microfluidic biochemical sensor fabricated using inkjet printing.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating all functional components, including electrodes and enzyme immobilization, via printing.
• To validate the performance of the developed sensor for glucose detection.

Main Methods:

• Utilized inkjet printing for the fabrication of all functional structures of the microfluidic device.
• Integrated a three-electrode electrochemical system with glucose oxidase immobilization gel.
• Sealed the components within an ice channel to create a disposable sensor.
• Characterized the sensor's performance for glucose detection.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated a microfluidic biochemical sensor with all components, including electrodes and immobilized enzymes, via inkjet printing.
• The sensor demonstrated good sensitivity and a linear response in the low glucose concentration range (0-10 mM).
• The fabrication process is cost-effective and rapid, enabling quick model validation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed full-printing methodology offers a convenient and fast approach for microfluidic device fabrication.
• This technology enables the development of disposable, low-cost microfluidic sensors for biochemical detection.
• The method holds potential for mass production and rapid prototyping of lab-on-chip systems.