Rapid Softlithography Using 3D‐Printed Molds

Abstract

most prevalent and conventional method for fabrication of PDMS-based microchips relies on softlithography, the main drawback of which is the preparation of a master mold which is costly and time-consuming. To prevent the attachment of PDMS to the master mold, silanization is necessary which can be detrimental for cellular studies. Also, using cell-compatible surfactant for mold coating adds extra pre-processing time. Recent advances in 3D printing have shown great promise in expediting the microfabrication process. Nevertheless, current 3D printing techniques are suboptimal for PDMS softlithography. In this paper, using a newly developed 3D printing resin, we have demonstrated the feasibility of producing master molds suitable for rapid softlithography. Moreover, we have showcased the utility of this technique for a number of widely used applications such as concentration gradient generation, particle separation, cell culture (to show biocompatibility of the process) and fluid mixing. The present study can open new opportunities for biologists and scientists with minimum knowledge of microfabrication to build functional microfluidic devices for their basic and applied research.

A microfluidic approach to rapid sperm recovery from heterogeneous cell suspensions

“…Inertial microfluidics exploits the interplay of focusing forces present within spiral microchannels, leveraging the variability in size and deformability of different cell types to perform high throughout cell separation. The microfluidic separation device used in this study was a 3D printed spiral microchannel, which was developed using previously reported fabrication methods 30 , 35 , 36 . This 3D printed microfluidic device not only allows for high throughout and efficient sperm recovery, but also presents new focusing behaviour for cells of a certain size, not seen in flexible PDMS microchannels.…”

Fabrication Methods for Microfluidic Devices: An Overview

“…3D printing remains at an early stage development and with considerable potential for new innovation for the development of novel microfluidic and sensing systems [ 149 , 150 ]. It has been used for fabrication of moulds that have been used for PDMS casting of microfluidic devices [ 151 ]. Folch et al have demonstrated an interesting 3D printing approach for fabricating Quake-style microvalves and micropumps [ 152 ].…”

Cheap, versatile, and turnkey fabrication of microfluidic master molds using consumer-grade LCD stereolithography 3D printing

“…Different approaches have been studied in order to reduce the cost and increase the flexibility of fabrication of microfluidic devices. Some techniques completely bypassed the use of photolithography, using direct methods of microfabrication : to cite a few examples, micromilling [17], lost wax [18], 3D printing [19], electrophoresis [20]. Another perspective has focused on finding an easier and cheaper way to perform photolithography.…”