Heat and pressure-resistant room temperature irreversible sealing of hybrid PDMS–thermoplastic microfluidic devices <i>via</i> carbon–nitrogen covalent bonding and its application in a continuous-flow polymerase chain reaction

Sivakumar, R.; Lee, Nae Yoon

doi:10.1039/d0ra02332a

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Borysiak et al reported maximum pressures of 4.1 bar without failure for bonding of SEBS to itself, PS, or glass surfaces applying 75 • C for 30 min [26]. When compared to PDMS bonded to itself [41], glass [42], or thermoplastics [43][44][45], similar or even higher values of bonding strength can be achieved using our presented TPE-based approach (Table 1), even after 7 days of exposure to buffer. Preventing the absorption of molecules from the solution into the bulk materials of the chips is of upmost importance due to the high surface-to-volume ratios seen in microfluidic systems, which can lead to the rapid drop of concentrations in the perfused solution [46].…”

Section: Device Bonding Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Borysiak et al reported maximum pressures of 4.1 bar without failure for bonding of SEBS to itself, PS, or glass surfaces applying 75 °C for 30 min [ 26 ]. When compared to PDMS bonded to itself [ 41 ], glass [ 42 ], or thermoplastics [ 43 , 44 , 45 ], similar or even higher values of bonding strength can be achieved using our presented TPE-based approach ( Table 1 ), even after 7 days of exposure to buffer.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

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Facile Patterning of Thermoplastic Elastomers and Robust Bonding to Glass and Thermoplastics for Microfluidic Cell Culture and Organ-on-Chip

et al. 2021

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The emergence and spread of microfluidics over the last decades relied almost exclusively on the elastomer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The main reason for the success of PDMS in the field of microfluidic research is its suitability for rapid prototyping and simple bonding methods. PDMS allows for precise microstructuring by replica molding and bonding to different substrates through various established strategies. However, large-scale production and commercialization efforts are hindered by the low scalability of PDMS-based chip fabrication and high material costs. Furthermore, fundamental limitations of PDMS, such as small molecule absorption and high water evaporation, have resulted in a shift toward PDMS-free systems. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are a promising alternative, combining properties from both thermoplastic materials and elastomers. Here, we present a rapid and scalable fabrication method for microfluidic systems based on a polycarbonate (PC) and TPE hybrid material. Microstructured PC/TPE-hybrid modules are generated by hot embossing precise features into the TPE while simultaneously fusing the flexible TPE to a rigid thermoplastic layer through thermal fusion bonding. Compared to TPE alone, the resulting, more rigid composite material improves device handling while maintaining the key advantages of TPE. In a fast and simple process, the PC/TPE-hybrid can be bonded to several types of thermoplastics as well as glass substrates. The resulting bond strength withstands at least 7.5 bar of applied pressure, even after seven days of exposure to a high-temperature and humid environment, which makes the PC/TPE-hybrid suitable for most microfluidic applications. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the PC/TPE-hybrid features low absorption of small molecules while being biocompatible, making it a suitable material for microfluidic biotechnological applications.

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Section: Device Bonding Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Facile Patterning of Thermoplastic Elastomers and Robust Bonding to Glass and Thermoplastics for Microfluidic Cell Culture and Organ-on-Chip

et al. 2021

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“…Since there is an additional chemical reagent or layer applied in the bonding interface to increase the surface energy or enhance bonding strength of the microfluidic device, this method is defined as indirect bonding method. For chemical surface modification, chemical reagents such as APTES [ 147 , 148 ], [2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl]trimethoxysilane (ECTMS) [ 147 ], (3-triethoxysilyl)propylsuccinic anhydride (TESPSA) [ 148 ] and 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPMA) [ 149 ] are used. These chemicals increase surface energy of the substrates and bind them through the formation of strong covalent bond between reagents and substrates.…”

Section: Indirect Bondingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These chemicals increase surface energy of the substrates and bind them through the formation of strong covalent bond between reagents and substrates. The schematic process for bonding PDMS modified using ECTMS with thermoplastics treated with APTES and ECTMS is shown in Figure 7 [ 147 ]. The high quality bond between PDMS and thermoplastics is obtained by the strong covalent carbon–nitrogen bonding using silane reagents.…”

Section: Indirect 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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“…Lab on PCB (LOP) is the future of microfluidics; its globally available equipment and techniques enable the production of inexpensive disposable devices. Among the recent works on PDMS-PCB bonding are; half-cured PDMS technique on rigid PCB for construction of continuous-flow PCR [13], polyimide to PDMS bonding with thin-film SiO2 [14], and surface functionalized PDMS bonding to several plastic substrates [15,16]. The former device, the continuous-flow PCR [13], used PDMS as a planarization layer to encase the electronics components on the printed circuit board, whereas the latter three are the other indirect bonding methods for flexible plastic PCB-PDMS pair substrates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leakage-Free Nucleic Acid Biochip Featuring Bioinert Photocurable Inhibitor

et al. 2021

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A leakage-free and disposable biochip for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) separation and detection is developed in this study. The biochip comprises of 50 mm long polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel and copper electrodes engraved on flame retardant (FR-4) printed circuit board (PCB) substrate. An inhibitor made from photocurable diacrylate bisphenol-A polymer (DABA) was used to establish a permanent bonding between PDMS and PCB substrates. Pull-off test experiments resulted in average strength of 287.4 kPa and a standard deviation of ± 23.8 kPa. These results are comparable to recent studies on leak-free microfluidic applications. Meanwhile, the leakage test showed that the biochip could withstand a pressure of more than 190 kPa, which is sufficiently high for most DNA measurements. Finally, experiments performed on two different DNA samples indicated that the proposed design could accurately detect DNA fragments with current sensitivity higher than 100 nA, under electric field strength of 20 V/cm. The new design effectively seals the biochip, thus preventing leakage of liquid from the sensor matrix. Together with its biologically and electrochemically inert characteristic, it opens up possibilities in building a truly portable biosensing device.

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Heat and pressure-resistant room temperature irreversible sealing of hybrid PDMS–thermoplastic microfluidic devices via carbon–nitrogen covalent bonding and its application in a continuous-flow polymerase chain reaction

Abstract: In this study, we have introduced a facile room-temperature strategy for irreversibly sealing polydimethylsiloxane to various thermoplastics using (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and [2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl]trimethoxysilane (ECTMS).

Cited by 11 publications

References 40 publications

Facile Patterning of Thermoplastic Elastomers and Robust Bonding to Glass and Thermoplastics for Microfluidic Cell Culture and Organ-on-Chip

Facile Patterning of Thermoplastic Elastomers and Robust Bonding to Glass and Thermoplastics for Microfluidic Cell Culture and Organ-on-Chip

Recent Advances in Thermoplastic Microfluidic Bonding

Leakage-Free Nucleic Acid Biochip Featuring Bioinert Photocurable Inhibitor

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