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Fabrication of Microfluidic Chips Based on an EHD-Assisted Direct Printing Method
Xiang Chi1, Xinyu Zhang1, Zongan Li1
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, School of NARI Electric and Automation, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 15, 2020
Summary
Electrohydrodynamic-assisted direct printing offers a rapid method for fabricating microfluidic chips. This technique simplifies the creation of complex microscale structures, essential for applications in biology and environmental monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Microfluidics Engineering
Background:
- Microfluidic chips are crucial for biology, environmental monitoring, and micromixing.
- Current fabrication methods for microfluidic systems can be complex and time-consuming.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and analyze electrohydrodynamic (EHD)-assisted direct printing as a novel fabrication technique for microfluidic chips.
- To investigate the influence of key parameters on the precision of the printing process.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the electrohydrodynamic-assisted direct printing principle.
- Experimental study on the effect of operating voltage and print speed on paraffin wax model dimensions.
- Fabrication of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micromixer using paraffin wax molds.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated successful fabrication of paraffin wax molds with 120 μm channel widths.
- Successfully replicated PDMS micromixer using the fabricated molds.
- Achieved effective micromixing of blue and yellow dyes within the PDMS device.
Conclusions:
- Electrohydrodynamic-assisted direct printing is a viable method for creating intricate microscale structures.
- This technique shows potential to significantly streamline the manufacturing process of microfluidic devices.
