title: Polydimethylsiloxane-integratable micropressure sensor for microfluidic chips.
abstract: A novel microfluidic pressure sensor which can be fully integrated into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is reported. The sensor produces electrical signals directly. We integrated PDMS-based conductive composites into a 30 mum thick membrane and bonded it to the microchannel side wall. The response time of the sensor is approximately 100 ms and can work within a pressure range as wide as 0-100 kPa. The resolution of this micropressure sensor is generally 0.1 kPa but can be increased to 0.01 kPa at high pressures as a result of the quadratic relationship between resistance and pressure. The PDMS-based nature of the sensor ensures its perfect bonding with PDMS chips, and the standard photolithographic process of the sensor allows one-time fabrication of three dimensional structures or even microsensor arrays. The theoretical calculations are in good agreement with experimental observations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and KAUST-HKUST MicroNano-fluidics Joint Laboratory, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Limu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Mengying
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Weiming
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jinbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xiuqing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Weijia
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wen