Inkjet Pattern-Guided Liquid Templates on Superhydrophobic Substrates for Rapid Prototyping of Microfluidic Devices

This paper presents a novel method of rapidly customizing microfluidic systems using a consumer-grade inkjet printer and a commercially available superhydrophobic spray. By casting polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on liquid templates that are defined by inkjet-printed hydrophilic patterns on superhydrophobically-coated PDMS substrates, microfluidic devices can be directly fabricated. Utilizing the interfacial properties of the superhydrophobic coating and the template liquid, the fabrication of microfluidics could be done with minimum effort and expertise, and unlike previously reported works, no mask and bonding process is necessary. As a proof of concept, we created different microfluidic devices for various applications, like gradient generation and pneumatic control of fluid. Appealing in its simplicity and rapidness, the newly proposed technique could provide an easy-to-use microfluidic platform for front-line researchers with different backgrounds to quickly customize microfluidic devices.