PDMS Microfluidics Fabrication

Microfluidic devices allow for precise control of very small quantities of fluid. They find widespread use in lab-on-a-chip devices, in which precisely defined sample volumes must be mixed and directed to various analysis chambers. 

The fluidic channels in a microfluidic device are molded into a layer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a transparent biocompatible polymer. Molding is accomplished by pouring uncured PDMS onto a prepatterned master, on which an epoxy-based photoresist (SU-8) has been used to define features as small as 1μm. The process shown below can be used for inexpensive, rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices in our facilities here at UCSC.

microfluidics

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