Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2025
18:11
Microfluidic Chips Controlled with Elastomeric Microvalve Arrays
Published on: October 1, 2007
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Novel thermoplastic microvalves based on an elastomeric cyclic olefin copolymer
Katie Childers1,2, Ian M Freed2,3, Mateusz L Hupert4
1Bioengineering Program, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. ssoper@ku.edu.
Lab on a Chip
|August 22, 2024
Summary
A new cyclic olefin copolymer (eCOC) membrane offers a scalable and cost-effective alternative for microfluidic valves. These valves demonstrate reliable performance and were successfully used in a system to detect minimal residual disease in leukemia patients.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Microfluidic systems integrate complex bio-analytical processes using valves for fluid control.
- Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is common for microfluidic valves but lacks scalability for disposable systems.
- There is a need for cost-effective, high-throughput valve materials for integrated microfluidic devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and characterize a novel cyclic olefin copolymer (eCOC) membrane for microfluidic valving.
- To evaluate the performance and scalability of eCOC-based valves.
- To demonstrate the utility of eCOC valves in a diagnostic microfluidic system for minimal residual disease detection.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of eCOC membranes using extrusion or injection molding.
- Surface modification of eCOC via UV/ozone activation for hydrophilic properties.
- Assembly and bonding of eCOC valves with polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) substrates.
- Mechanical and pneumatic actuation testing of eCOC valves.
- Integration of eCOC valves into a microfluidic system for minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) samples.
Main Results:
- eCOC membranes are suitable for high-volume, low-cost valve production.
- UV/ozone activation creates a stable hydrophilic surface on eCOC.
- eCOC valves demonstrated strong bonding with PC (75 kPa) and PETG (350 kPa) under high fluidic pressure.
- Valves exhibited reliable performance with >50 actuation cycles without failure.
- The integrated system successfully detected minimal residual disease (MRD) in pediatric ALL patient samples.
Conclusions:
- Thermoplastic elastomeric cyclic olefin copolymer (eCOC) is a viable material for fabricating scalable, cost-effective, and reliable microfluidic valves.
- eCOC valves offer robust performance suitable for integrated microfluidic diagnostic applications.
- This technology advances the development of disposable microfluidic devices for sensitive disease detection, such as MRD in ALL.
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