Prototyping of microfluidic devices in poly(dimethylsiloxane) using solid-object printing.
A solid-object printer was used to produce masters for the fabrication of microfluidic devices in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The printer provides an alternative to photolithography for applications where features of > 250 microm are needed. Solid-object printing is capable of delivering objects that have dimensions as large as 250 x 190 x 200 mm (x, y, z) with feature sizes that can range from 10 cm to 250 microm. The user designs a device in 3-D in a CAD program, and the CAD file is used by the printer to fabricate a master directly without the need for a mask. The printer can produce complex structures, including multilevel features, in one unattended printing. The masters are robust and inexpensive and can be fabricated rapidly. Once a master was obtained, a PDMS replica was fabricated by molding against it and used to fabricate a microfluidic device. The capabilities of this method are demonstrated by fabricating devices that contain multilevel and tall features, devices that cover a large area (approximately 150 cm2), and devices that contain nonintersecting, crossing channels.
McDonald
J Cooper
JC
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Chabinyc
Michael L
ML
Metallo
Steven J
SJ
Anderson
Janelle R
JR
Stroock
Abraham D
AD
Whitesides
George M
GM
D000818:Animals; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D004867:Equipment Design; D007118:Immunoassay; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D051379:Mice; D008832:Microchemistry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012212:Rheology; D012828:Silicones
D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D012828:Silicones; C013830:baysilon