Biomimetic on-chip filtration enabled by direct micro-3D printing on membrane

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics
• Membrane Science
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Membrane-on-chip devices are crucial for high-throughput environmental and water research.
• Integrating membranes into microfluidic devices presents significant challenges, hindering their widespread application.
• Novel membrane materials and structures are continuously being developed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel on-chip membrane device using micro-stereolithography 3D printing.
• To create a self-sealing interface between the structure and membrane without additional assembly.
• To demonstrate the anti-fouling and anti-clogging capabilities for wastewater filtration.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a "fish gill" structure-integrated on-chip membrane device using micro-stereolithography 3D printing.
• Integration of metallic micromesh and polymeric membranes into the 3D printed device.
• In-situ visualization of filtration processes to study foulant interactions.

Main Results:

• The fabricated device exhibits a self-sealing attribute at the structure-membrane interface.
• The biomimetic "fish gill" structure effectively "ricochets" foulant particles and droplets via hydrodynamic manipulation.
• The devices demonstrated 2-3 times longer durability for high-flux filtration compared to commercial membranes in wastewater treatment scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The 3D printing-on-membrane approach successfully bridges microfluidics and membrane science.
• The biomimetic filtration device offers enhanced durability and anti-fouling/anti-clogging performance.
• This technology holds potential for diverse applications in energy, sensing, analytical chemistry, and biomedical engineering.