Fully 3D printed fluidic devices with integrated valves and pumps for flow injection analysis

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Materials Science
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Microfluidic devices are crucial for various analytical applications.
• Integrating active components like pumps and valves into microfluidics traditionally involves complex assembly.
• 3D printing offers potential for streamlined fabrication of microfluidic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a rapid fabrication method for microfluidic devices with integrated pumps and valves using PolyJet 3D printing.
• To characterize the performance of the 3D printed pumps and valves.
• To demonstrate the utility of the device in analytical measurements.

Main Methods:

• Utilized PolyJet 3D printing technology with VeroClear (rigid-transparent) and Agilus30 (flexible) materials.
• Employed liquid support and stacked printing for integrated component fabrication.
• Fabricated a flow injection analysis device with on-chip pumps for fluid manipulation.
• Characterized pump and valve performance using fluorescence microscopy.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated microfluidic devices with integrated, functional pumps and valves in under 4 hours.
• Demonstrated reproducible fluid stream control using on-chip pumps.
• Showed a linear correlation between injection process and analyte concentration.
• Validated device utility through the injection and lysis of endothelial cells.

Conclusions:

• PolyJet 3D printing enables rapid, one-step fabrication of microfluidic devices with integrated active components.
• The developed method significantly enhances the applicability of 3D printing for creating complex microfluidic analytical systems.
• This approach streamlines microfluidic device production for diverse applications.