Thermal bonding of thermoplastic elastomer film to PMMA for microfluidic applications

Yu, Suzhu; Ng, Shu Pei; Wang, Zhenfeng; Tham, Chu Long; Soh, Y. C.

doi:10.1016/j.surfcoat.2016.11.102

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…As the optical micrographs displayed in Figure 2 C, the higher pressure results in clogging of the microchannels compared to the low pressure conditions. The parameters appropriate for bonding thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and PMMA is found to be temperature 80 °C, time 30 min and pressure 0.42 MPa [ 33 ]. Different methodologies have been practiced to reduce high-temperature and microchannel distortion issues during thermal bonding.…”

Section: Direct Bondingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Thermoplastic Microfluidic Bonding

Giri

Tsao

2022

Micromachines

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Microfluidics is a multidisciplinary technology with applications in various fields, such as biomedical, energy, chemicals and environment. Thermoplastic is one of the most prominent materials for polymer microfluidics. Properties such as good mechanical rigidity, organic solvent resistivity, acid/base resistivity, and low water absorbance make thermoplastics suitable for various microfluidic applications. However, bonding of thermoplastics has always been challenging because of a wide range of bonding methods and requirements. This review paper summarizes the current bonding processes being practiced for the fabrication of thermoplastic microfluidic devices, and provides a comparison between the different bonding strategies to assist researchers in finding appropriate bonding methods for microfluidic device assembly.

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Section: Direct Bondingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Thermoplastic Microfluidic Bonding

Giri

Tsao

2022

Micromachines

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“…The lamp was powered by a laboratory power supply, and the exposure time was controlled with a timer relay. UV-assisted bonding was used to sandwich the TPE membrane between the PMMA sheets [19].…”

Section: Thermal Bondingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition they are flexible, biocompatible, and optically clear, and they have a lower adsorption of small molecules than PDMS [16]. Recent studies have focused on microfluidic fabrication using hot embossing of TPE [16][17][18], as well as on fabrication of thermoplastic-TPE hybrid devices [19][20][21][22]. Micro-pneumatic pumps and valves with a TPE membrane have been successfully developed and are used for perfused well plates [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)–Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) Hybrid Devices for Active Pumping PDMS-Free Organ-on-a-Chip Systems

et al. 2021

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Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been used in microfluidic systems for years, as it can be easily structured and its flexibility makes it easy to integrate actuators including pneumatic pumps. In addition, the good optical properties of the material are well suited for analytical systems. In addition to its positive aspects, PDMS is well known to adsorb small molecules, which limits its usability when it comes to drug testing, e.g., in organ-on-a-chip (OoC) systems. Therefore, alternatives to PDMS are in high demand. In this study, we use thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) films thermally bonded to laser-cut poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sheets to build up multilayered microfluidic devices with integrated pneumatic micro-pumps. We present a low-cost manufacturing technology based on a conventional CO2 laser cutter for structuring, a spin-coating process for TPE film fabrication, and a thermal bonding process using a pneumatic hot-press. UV treatment with an Excimer lamp prior to bonding drastically improves the bonding process. Optimized bonding parameters were characterized by measuring the burst load upon applying pressure and via profilometer-based measurement of channel deformation. Next, flow and long-term stability of the chip layout were measured using microparticle Image Velocimetry (uPIV). Finally, human endothelial cells were seeded in the microchannels to check biocompatibility and flow-directed cell alignment. The presented device is compatible with a real-time live-cell analysis system.

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“…TPE already displays good but reversible adhesion to PMMA at room temperature. To achieve robust and stable bonding, TPE surfaces were plasma activated 41 (Error! Reference source not found.).…”

Section: A) Each Disc Features Four Individual Microfluidic Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peristaltic on-chip pump for tunable media circulation and whole blood perfusion in PDMS-free organ-on-chip and Organ-Disc systems

et al. 2021

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Thermal bonding of thermoplastic elastomer film to PMMA for microfluidic applications

Cited by 21 publications

References 12 publications

Recent Advances in Thermoplastic Microfluidic Bonding

Recent Advances in Thermoplastic Microfluidic Bonding

Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)–Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) Hybrid Devices for Active Pumping PDMS-Free Organ-on-a-Chip Systems

Peristaltic on-chip pump for tunable media circulation and whole blood perfusion in PDMS-free organ-on-chip and Organ-Disc systems

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