A surface treatment method for improving the attachment of PDMS: acoustofluidics as a case study

A method for a permanent surface modification of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is presented. A case study on the attachment of PDMS and the lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) wafer for acoustofluidics applications is presented as well. The method includes a protocol for chemically treating the surface of PDMS to strengthen its bond with the LiNbO₃ surface. The PDMS surface is modified using the 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (TMSPMA) silane reagent. The effect of silane treatment on the hydrophilicity, morphology, adhesion strength to LiNbO₃, and surface energy of PDMS is investigated. The results demonstrated that the silane treatment permanently increases the hydrophilicity of PDMS and significantly alters its morphology. The bonding strength between PDMS and LiNbO₃increased with the duration of the silane treatment, reaching a maximum of approximately 500 kPa. To illustrate the effectiveness of this method, an acoustofluidic device was tested, and the device demonstrated very promising enhanced bonding and sealing capabilities with particle manipulation at a flow rate of up to 1 L/h by means of traveling surface acoustic waves (TSAW). The device was reused multiple times with no fluid leakage or detachment issues. The utility of the presented PDMS surface modification method is not limited to acoustofluidics applications; it has the potential to be further investigated for applications in various scientific fields in the future.