A Rapid Prototyping Approach for Multi-Material, Reversibly Sealed Microfluidics
Microfluidic organ-on-chip models recapitulate increasingly complex physiological phenomena to study tissue development and disease mechanisms, where there is a growing interest in retrieving delicate biological structures from these devices for downstream analysis. Standard bonding techniques, howe...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-12-01
|
| Series: | Micromachines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/12/2213 |
| _version_ | 1827574106331021312 |
|---|---|
| author | Michael Halwes Melanie Stamp David J. Collins |
| author_facet | Michael Halwes Melanie Stamp David J. Collins |
| author_sort | Michael Halwes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Microfluidic organ-on-chip models recapitulate increasingly complex physiological phenomena to study tissue development and disease mechanisms, where there is a growing interest in retrieving delicate biological structures from these devices for downstream analysis. Standard bonding techniques, however, often utilize irreversible sealing, making sample retrieval unfeasible or necessitating destructive methods for disassembly. To address this, several commercial devices employ reversible sealing techniques, though integrating these techniques into early-stage prototyping workflows is often ignored because of the variation and complexity of microfluidic designs. Here, we demonstrate the concerted use of rapid prototyping techniques, including 3D printing and laser cutting, to produce multi-material microfluidic devices that can be reversibly sealed. This is enhanced via the incorporation of acrylic components directly into polydimethylsiloxane channel layers to enhance stability, sealing, and handling. These acrylic components act as a rigid surface separating the multiple mechanical seals created between the bottom substrate, the microfluidic features in the device, and the fluidic interconnect to external tubing, allowing for greater design flexibility. We demonstrate that these devices can be produced reproducibly outside of a cleanroom environment and that they can withstand ~1 bar pressures that are appropriate for a wide range of biological applications. By presenting an accessible and low-cost method, we hope to enable microfluidic prototyping for a broad range of biomedical research applications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:31:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0aeec90b65fb4f9ebae4e86701c227b5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:31:34Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj.art-0aeec90b65fb4f9ebae4e86701c227b52023-12-22T14:25:25ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2023-12-011412221310.3390/mi14122213A Rapid Prototyping Approach for Multi-Material, Reversibly Sealed MicrofluidicsMichael Halwes0Melanie Stamp1David J. Collins2Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, AustraliaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, AustraliaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, AustraliaMicrofluidic organ-on-chip models recapitulate increasingly complex physiological phenomena to study tissue development and disease mechanisms, where there is a growing interest in retrieving delicate biological structures from these devices for downstream analysis. Standard bonding techniques, however, often utilize irreversible sealing, making sample retrieval unfeasible or necessitating destructive methods for disassembly. To address this, several commercial devices employ reversible sealing techniques, though integrating these techniques into early-stage prototyping workflows is often ignored because of the variation and complexity of microfluidic designs. Here, we demonstrate the concerted use of rapid prototyping techniques, including 3D printing and laser cutting, to produce multi-material microfluidic devices that can be reversibly sealed. This is enhanced via the incorporation of acrylic components directly into polydimethylsiloxane channel layers to enhance stability, sealing, and handling. These acrylic components act as a rigid surface separating the multiple mechanical seals created between the bottom substrate, the microfluidic features in the device, and the fluidic interconnect to external tubing, allowing for greater design flexibility. We demonstrate that these devices can be produced reproducibly outside of a cleanroom environment and that they can withstand ~1 bar pressures that are appropriate for a wide range of biological applications. By presenting an accessible and low-cost method, we hope to enable microfluidic prototyping for a broad range of biomedical research applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/12/2213microfluidicsrapid prototypingadditive manufacturinglab-on-a-chiporgan-on-chip |
| spellingShingle | Michael Halwes Melanie Stamp David J. Collins A Rapid Prototyping Approach for Multi-Material, Reversibly Sealed Microfluidics Micromachines microfluidics rapid prototyping additive manufacturing lab-on-a-chip organ-on-chip |
| title | A Rapid Prototyping Approach for Multi-Material, Reversibly Sealed Microfluidics |
| title_full | A Rapid Prototyping Approach for Multi-Material, Reversibly Sealed Microfluidics |
| title_fullStr | A Rapid Prototyping Approach for Multi-Material, Reversibly Sealed Microfluidics |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Rapid Prototyping Approach for Multi-Material, Reversibly Sealed Microfluidics |
| title_short | A Rapid Prototyping Approach for Multi-Material, Reversibly Sealed Microfluidics |
| title_sort | rapid prototyping approach for multi material reversibly sealed microfluidics |
| topic | microfluidics rapid prototyping additive manufacturing lab-on-a-chip organ-on-chip |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/12/2213 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michaelhalwes arapidprototypingapproachformultimaterialreversiblysealedmicrofluidics AT melaniestamp arapidprototypingapproachformultimaterialreversiblysealedmicrofluidics AT davidjcollins arapidprototypingapproachformultimaterialreversiblysealedmicrofluidics AT michaelhalwes rapidprototypingapproachformultimaterialreversiblysealedmicrofluidics AT melaniestamp rapidprototypingapproachformultimaterialreversiblysealedmicrofluidics AT davidjcollins rapidprototypingapproachformultimaterialreversiblysealedmicrofluidics |