Investigation of Solvent-Assisted In-Mold Bonding of Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC) Microfluidic Chips

Li, Qiang; Jiang, Bingyan; Li, Xianglin; Zhou, Mingyong

doi:10.3390/mi13060965

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 31 publications

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“…It was important to keep the temperature high during the bonding step to drive off the solvent quickly and completely, as residual cyclohexane would form pockets between the bonded wafers, weakening the bond and potentially peeling it apart over time. Typically, a solvent bonding temperature would be chosen slightly below the glass transition temperature of the polymer (i.e., 178 °C) [ 50 ]. However, our use of a 3D-printed ABS bonding rig to hold the wafers in place during bonding limited the temperature that we could apply to 93 °C.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication of µFFE Devices in COC via Hot Embossing with a 3D-Printed Master Mold

LeMon,

Douma,

Burke

et al. 2023

Micromachines

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The fabrication of high-performance microscale devices in substrates with optimal material properties while keeping costs low and maintaining the flexibility to rapidly prototype new designs remains an ongoing challenge in the microfluidics field. To this end, we have fabricated a micro free-flow electrophoresis (µFFE) device in cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) via hot embossing using a PolyJet 3D-printed master mold. A room-temperature cyclohexane vapor bath was used to clarify the device and facilitate solvent-assisted thermal bonding to fully enclose the channels. Device profiling showed 55 µm deep channels with no detectable feature degradation due to solvent exposure. Baseline separation of fluorescein, rhodamine 110, and rhodamine 123, was achieved at 150 V. Limits of detection for these fluorophores were 2 nM, 1 nM, and 10 nM, respectively, and were comparable to previously reported values for glass and 3D-printed devices. Using PolyJet 3D printing in conjunction with hot embossing, the full design cycle, from initial design to production of fully functional COC µFFE devices, could be completed in as little as 6 days without the need for specialized clean room facilities. Replicate COC µFFE devices could be produced from an existing embossing mold in as little as two hours.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%