Due to their low-cost and processing simplicity, polymers have made a substantial impact on everyday life and scientific discoveries. Such discoveries include the use of microanalysis and optical microsystems, which-albeit simpler to prototype than their inorganic counterparts-still require dedicated procedures at high temperatures and pressures. Here, recent developments in microsystem prototyping are highlighted, based on solvent-assisted polymer stimulation. These developments-largely inspired by the earlier demonstration of solvent-assisted micromolding (SAMIM) for nanoimprinting-enable micronscale imprinting, but also bonding to substrates and three-dimensional chemical functionalization via strict benchtop procedures. These solvent-assisted strategies are categorized into two groups: those based on solvent immersion and those based on complete polymer dissolution. Recent embodiments within each group are discussed and compared in performance. Solvent-assisted prototyping further narrows the gap of processing complexity and costs between the PDMS elastomer and thermoplastic polymer microfluidics, and also enables novel architectures and thus new opportunities in microscale Life Sciences and Chemistry investigations.
We expand upon our recent, fundamental report on solvent immersion imprint lithography (SIIL) and describe a semi-automated and high-performance procedure for prototyping polymer microfluidics and optofluidics. The SIIL procedure minimizes manual intervention through a cost-effective (∼$200) and easy-to-assemble apparatus. We analyze the procedure's performance specifically for Poly (methyl methacrylate) microsystems and report repeatable polymer imprinting, bonding, and 3D functionalization in less than 5 min, down to 8 μm resolutions and 1:1 aspect ratios. In comparison to commercial approaches, the modified SIIL procedure enables substantial cost reductions, a 100-fold reduction in imprinting force requirements, as well as a more than 10-fold increase in bonding strength. We attribute these advantages to the directed polymer dissolution that strictly localizes at the polymer-solvent interface, as uniquely offered by SIIL. The described procedure opens new desktop prototyping opportunities, particularly for non-expert users performing live-cell imaging, flow-through catalysis, and on-chip gas detection.
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