Sustainable fabrication of micro-structured lab-on-a-chip

Abstract

We have demonstrated a robust platform that can not only sustainably fabricate a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device using microinjection molding but also elucidate the filling process of microstructures based on the multiscale analysis. In addition, a novel dimensionless number, i.e., the filling number μ(f) which can provide an insight into the underlying filling mechanism for micropillars, has been proposed based on the understanding of the characteristics of polymeric flow and cavity dimension. This study suggests a solid experimental and numerical tool for the production of microfluidic devices with the use of a micromolding technique, which is expected to help materialize the commercialization of the LOC devices in a more sustainable manner.

Continuous In Situ Synthesis of ZnSe/ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots in a Microfluidic Reaction System and its Application for Light‐Emitting Diodes

“…Unfortunately, homogeneous mixing of reagents, which is a major limitation of batch reactor system, is impossible to monitor in the inner space of the opaque reactors and it is also difficult for the mass production of reactors 6. To overcome these issues, we presented a microstructure‐embedded cyclic olefin copolymer (COC)‐based microfluidic devices using a microinjection technique, which is highly suitable for the rapid replication and mass production of the microfluidic reactors or devices recently 10. In addition, the COC, which is a class of polymers based on cyclic olefin monomer and ethane, is a highly transparent and the most stable polymer in acid, base, and organic solvents, which are commonly used in the synthesis of various types of nanomaterials 11.…”

Micro‐injection molding of thermoplastic polymers: Proposal of a constitutive law as function of the aspect ratios

“…Based on these values, the corresponding AR 2 values are calculated, and compared to the maximum values found experimentally (shown in Figure ). Regardless of the geometries, the shapes, the polymers or the conditions used, one can see that for all the products studied, the AR 2 values are quite <95 – . Furthermore, from the studies reporting an incomplete filling of the cavities, and giving the results of the final incomplete molding, the values of AR 2 are in the range 20 < AR < 35, corresponding to pressure drops in the range 30 < Δ P (%) < 50% in Figure .…”

“…The reliability of the approach proposed in this article is then compared to the experimental findings published in the literature, for the injection molding of polymer parts developed for MEMS devices – . The results reported consider that the molding of the micro‐structured parts occurs in similar processing conditions, that is, a mold temperature lower than (i) the glass transition T g for amorphous polymers or (ii) the melting temperature T m for semi‐crystalline polymers.…”

Development of a Plastic-Based Microfluidic Immunosensor Chip for Detection of H1N1 Influenza

“…After location of the master mold in the injection mold machine, COC was injected through the nozzle, and the microfluidic device was released from the mold. The production process and conditions are similar to the previous research which demonstrated various microinjection conditions to form microstructures [17]. Holes of 1 mm in diameter for an inlet and outlet ports were punched to load the sample and buffer solutions into the microchannels.…”