Novel Reproducible Manufacturing and Reversible Sealing Method for Microfluidic Devices

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Conventional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microdevice fabrication is costly and time-consuming.
• Existing methods often result in single-use devices with irreversible seals, hindering content recovery and advanced imaging.
• Limitations include difficulty in accessing microchannels and the inability to reuse devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, cost-effective, and reproducible manufacturing method for PDMS microdevices.
• To enable reversible sealing for easy device opening, closing, and reuse.
• To validate the functionality of the new system for microfluidic applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) plates in a mechanical pressure-based system for PDMS replica molding.
• Employed a second PMMA plate assembly for pressure-based, reversible sealing of PDMS layers to glass bases.
• Applied mechanical pressure ranging from 10 to 18 kPa to the microchannel structures.

Main Results:

• Achieved reproducible manufacturing of PDMS replicas with uniform dimensions, reducing material waste and cost.
• Demonstrated reversible, plasma-free sealing of PDMS microdevices, enabling chip on/off configurations.
• Confirmed no structural deformation of PDMS microchannels under applied pressure.
• Successfully validated device functionality through repeated microdroplet generation in reused microdevices.

Conclusions:

• The novel PMMA plate-based system offers a cost-effective and efficient method for producing reusable PDMS microdevices.
• Reversible sealing overcomes limitations of conventional methods, facilitating device reuse and accessibility.
• The technique is robust, preserving microchannel integrity and enabling sustained functionality.