Potential of CO2-laser processing of quartz for fast prototyping of microfluidic reactors and templates for 3D cell assembly over large scale

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 )-laser processing of glasses is a versatile maskless writing technique to engrave micro-structures with flexible control on shape and size. In this study, we present the fabrication of hundreds of microns quartz micro-channels and micro-holes by pulsed CO 2 -laser ablation with a focus on the great potential of the technique in microfluidics and biomedical applications. After discussing the impact of the laser processing parameters on the design process, we illustrate specific applications. First, we demonstrate the use of a serpentine microfluidic reactor prepared by combining CO 2 -laser ablation and post-ablation wet etching to remove surface features stemming from laser-texturing that are undesirable for channel sealing. Then, cyclic olefin copolymer micro-pillars are fabricated using laser-processed micro-holes as molds with high detail replication. The hundreds of microns conical and square pyramidal shaped pillars are used as templates to drive 3D cell assembly. Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells are found to assemble in a compact and wrapping way around the micro-pillars forming a tight junction network. These applications are interesting for both Lab-on-a-Chip and Organ-on-a-Chip devices.

Electrochemical Sensors for Liquid Biopsy and Their Integration into Lab-on-Chip Platforms: Revolutionizing the Approach to Diseases

“…The possibility to combine planar and multilevel structures into the same chip thanks to two-photon lithography was explored by Luitz and coworkers, who realized complex 3D micro-and nano-objects using a platinum-containing photoresin, which can be structured via direct lithographic two-photon polymerization, paving the way for novel applications like the production of innovative metamaterials for biomedical applications, where high surface areas and the physicochemical properties of Pt are highly desirable. Moreover, with the subsequential steps of lithography, the twophoton lithography method enables the possibility of embedding sensor structures into microfluidic devices, thus obtaining a monolithic platform for on-chip sample preparation and characterization [45][46][47].…”

Cultivation of Bovine MSCs on Plant-Based Scaffolds in a macrofluidic Single-Use Bioreactor for Cultured Meat

“…In this study, we evaluated the use of laser welding to incorporate nylon bilayers, the main component of the macrofluidic single-use bioreactor (MSUB) construction. Our primary goal is to demonstrate compatibility with cell culture and utility as a rapid prototyping method for large-scale fluidics, similar to microfoudics only at a large scale [43][44][45][46][47][48]. Significantly, we demonstrate that cells can proliferate and potentially differentiate on scaffolds within macrofluidic systems.…”

Craft-and-Stick Xurographic Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidic Electrochemical Sensing Platform

“…The vigorous milling and high-energy ablation process are effective for the manufacture of fluidic devices with robust materials such as glass [ 15 , 16 ], silicon [ 17 ], and polymers (i.e., PDMS, PMMA) [ 18 , 19 ], while the process may create surface defects for temperature sensitive, thin and fragile substrates. Laser processing, including CO 2 lasers and UV lasers, uses high energy to craft and create patterns on various hard substrates such as glass, borosilicate, silica, and quartz [ 20 ], and a few temperature-resisted polymer substrates [ 21 , 22 ]. However, the high-energy laser cutting process may not be suitable for temperature-sensitive polymer substrates or fire-catching cellulose or paper substrates resulting in a poor quality final product due to the melting, burning, and vaporization of substrate materials [ 23 , 24 ].…”