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3D-Printed Microfluidic Devices for Enhanced Online Sampling and Direct Optical Measurements
Giraso Keza Monia Kabandana1, Curtis G Jones1, Sahra Khan Sharifi1
1The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, United States.
ACS Sensors
|May 5, 2020
Summary
3D printing can now create transparent microfluidic devices for optical analysis by optimizing print orientation. This breakthrough enables real-time measurement of biofilm signaling molecules like indole, previously unquantitated.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biotechnology
Background:
- 3D printing offers a method for fabricating microfluidic devices.
- A key limitation of 3D-printed microfluidics is low optical transparency, hindering direct optical measurements.
- No prior studies have investigated the impact of printing orientation on the transparency of 3D-printed objects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of printing orientation on the transparency of 3D-printed microfluidic devices.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of using 3D-printed microfluidics for optical applications.
- To develop and utilize a novel 3D-printed microfluidic system for real-time analysis of biofilm signaling molecules.
Main Methods:
- Systematic evaluation of 3D printing orientation to maximize transparency of microfluidic devices.
- Fabrication of a transparent microfluidic detector with approximately 80% transmittance.
- Development of a novel 3D-printed microfluidic dialysis device with enhanced flow rates and extraction efficiency.
- Coupling of the microfluidic detector and dialysis probe for continuous, automated, near real-time measurements.
Main Results:
- Printing orientation significantly impacts the transparency of 3D-printed objects.
- Optimized printing orientation yielded microfluidic devices suitable for optical quantitation (transmittance ≈ 80%).
- The novel 3D-printed microfluidic dialysis device outperformed commercial alternatives in flow rate and extraction efficiency.
- Successfully measured the release kinetics of indole, an intercellular signaling molecule in biofilms, in real-time.
Conclusions:
- 3D printing, with optimized orientation, can produce transparent microfluidic devices for optical analytical applications.
- The developed 3D-printed microfluidic system enables novel capabilities for studying biofilm dynamics.
- This work bridges the gap in quantitating biofilm signaling molecules like indole, offering insights into antibiotic resistance regulation.
