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1. Facile micro-fabrication techniques for rapid manufacturing of gallium-based liquid metal passive frequency selective surfaces

   Mitra, A. ; Babu, S. ; Lee, J. ( May 2021 , The 5-6th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference)

   null (Ed.)

   This presentation reports different methods of making gallium-based liquid metal (LM) microfluidics passive frequency selective surfaces (FSS). In the first method Si wafer was dry-etched to form a mold and PDMS was replicated from the Si mold to create microfluidic channels with 5x5 array of 300μm width and 200 μm height for Jerusalem cross bars structure, surrounded by four fixed 2 x 1 x 0.2 mm structures. A PDMS lid having 1 mm diameter holes obtained from SLA 3D printed pillar array was aligned and bonded to the replicated PDMS to create sealed microfluidic channels. The bonded structure was placed with lid upwards in an open top 3D printed container measuring 64mm x 64mmarea and 25 mm height. LM was flooded into the container and loaded in Temescal e-beam evaporator at atmospheric pressure. Pressure in evaporator was dropped to 5.75 x 10-6Torr. After a vacuum period of 2 hours LM filling takes place in microfluidic structures because of positive pressure differential introduced by atmospheric pressure. In second method 70 μmthick SU8-2075 stencil consisting of a patterned 1x1 array of see-through FSS structure of above-mentioned dimensions was released from oxidized Si wafer using7:1 BOE. The SU8-2075 stencil was placed over a partially cured PDMS. After complete PDMS curing, an airbrush filled with LM operating at 36 psi with spraying time of less than 5 seconds, placed 4-5 cm over the stencil yields the patterned 1x1 FSS structure after removal of SU8-2075. 

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2. Hybrid Printing of Fully Integrated Microfluidic Devices for Biosensing

   https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202304966  

   Du, Yipu ; Reitemeier, Julius ; Jiang, Qiang ; Bappy, Md Omarsany ; Bohn, Paul W. ; Zhang, Yanliang ( September 2023 , Small)

   The advent of 3D printing has facilitated the rapid fabrication of microfluidic devices that are accessible and cost‐effective. However, it remains a challenge to fabricate sophisticated microfluidic devices with integrated structural and functional components due to limited material options of existing printing methods and their stringent requirement on feedstock material properties. Here, a multi‐materials multi‐scale hybrid printing method that enables seamless integration of a broad range of structural and functional materials into complex devices is reported. A fully printed and assembly‐free microfluidic biosensor with embedded fluidic channels and functionalized electrodes at sub‐100 µm spatial resolution for the amperometric sensing of lactate in sweat is demonstrated. The sensors present a sensitive response with a limit of detection of 442 nmand a linear dynamic range of 1–10 mm, which are performance characteristics relevant to physiological levels of lactate in sweat. The versatile hybrid printing method offers a new pathway toward facile fabrication of next‐generation integrated devices for broad applications in point‐of‐care health monitoring and sensing.

    

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3. 3D microfluidics via cyclic olefin polymer-based in situ direct laser writing

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C9LC00542K  

   Alsharhan, Abdullah T. ; Acevedo, Ruben ; Warren, Roseanne ; Sochol, Ryan D. ( August 2019 , Lab on a Chip)

   In situ direct laser writing ( is DLW) strategies that facilitate the printing of three-dimensional (3D) nanostructured components directly inside of, and fully sealed to, enclosed microchannels are uniquely suited for manufacturing geometrically complex microfluidic technologies. Recent efforts have demonstrated the benefits of using micromolding and bonding protocols for is DLW; however, the reliance on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) leads to limited fluidic sealing ( e.g. , operational pressures <50–75 kPa) and poor compatibility with standard organic solvent-based developers. To bypass these issues, here we explore the use of cyclic olefin polymer (COP) as an enabling microchannel material for is DLW by investigating three fundamental classes of microfluidic systems corresponding to increasing degrees of sophistication: (i) “2.5D” functionally static fluidic barriers (10–100 μm in height), which supported uncompromised structure-to-channel sealing under applied input pressures of up to 500 kPa; (ii) 3D static interwoven microvessel-inspired structures (inner diameters < 10 μm) that exhibited effective isolation of distinct fluorescently labelled microfluidic flow streams; and (iii) 3D dynamically actuated microfluidic transistors, which comprised bellowed sealing elements (wall thickness = 500 nm) that could be actively deformed via an applied gate pressure to fully obstruct source-to-drain fluid flow. In combination, these results suggest that COP-based is DLW offers a promising pathway to wide-ranging fluidic applications that demand significant architectural versatility at submicron scales with invariable sealing integrity, such as for biomimetic organ-on-a-chip systems and integrated microfluidic circuits. 

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4. Fabrication of Miniaturized Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices (MicroPADs)

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-37029-0  

   Strong, E. Brandon ; Schultz, Spencer A. ; Martinez, Andres W. ; Martinez, Nathaniel W. ( January 2019 , Scientific Reports)

   Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (microPADs) are emerging as cost-effective and portable platforms for point-of-care assays. A fundamental limitation of microPAD fabrication is the imprecise nature of most methods for patterning paper. The present work demonstrates that paper patterned via wax printing can be miniaturized by treating it with periodate to produce higher-resolution, high-fidelity microPADs. The optimal miniaturization parameters were determined by immersing microPADs in various concentrations of aqueous sodium periodate (NaIO₄) for varying lengths of time. This treatment miniaturized microPADs by up to 80% in surface area, depending on the concentration of periodate and length of the reaction time. By immersing microPADs in 0.5-M NaIO₄for 48 hours, devices were miniaturized by 78% in surface area, and this treatment allowed for the fabrication of functional channels with widths as small as 301 µm and hydrophobic barriers with widths as small as 387 µm. The miniaturized devices were shown to be compatible with redox-based colorimetric assays and enzymatic reactions. This miniaturization technique provides a new option for fabricating sub-millimeter-sized features in paper-based fluidic devices without requiring specialized equipment and could enable new capabilities and applications for microPADs.

    

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5. High‐Speed 3D Printing of Millimeter‐Size Customized Aspheric Imaging Lenses with Sub 7 nm Surface Roughness

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201705683  

   Chen, Xiangfan ; Liu, Wenzhong ; Dong, Biqin ; Lee, Jongwoo ; Ware, Henry Oliver T. ; Zhang, Hao F. ; Sun, Cheng ( March 2018 , Advanced Materials)

   Advancements in three‐dimensional (3D) printing technology have the potential to transform the manufacture of customized optical elements, which today relies heavily on time‐consuming and costly polishing and grinding processes. However the inherent speed‐accuracy trade‐off seriously constrains the practical applications of 3D‐printing technology in the optical realm. In addressing this issue, here, a new method featuring a significantly faster fabrication speed, at 24.54 mm³h⁻¹, without compromising the fabrication accuracy required to 3D‐print customized optical components is reported. A high‐speed 3D‐printing process with subvoxel‐scale precision (sub 5 µm) and deep subwavelength (sub 7 nm) surface roughness by employing the projection micro‐stereolithography process and the synergistic effects from grayscale photopolymerization and the meniscus equilibrium post‐curing methods is demonstrated. Fabricating a customized aspheric lens 5 mm in height and 3 mm in diameter is accomplished in four hours. The 3D‐printed singlet aspheric lens demonstrates a maximal imaging resolution of 373.2 lp mm⁻¹with low field distortion less than 0.13% across a 2 mm field of view. This lens is attached onto a cell phone camera and the colorful fine details of a sunset moth's wing and the spot on a weevil's elytra are captured. This work demonstrates the potential of this method to rapidly prototype optical components or systems based on 3D printing.

    

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