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Multiscale Prototyping Approach via In-situ Switching Electrohydrodynamics for Flexible Microfluidic Design

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Abstract

Microfluidic devices are critical in lab-on-chip, drug delivery, flexible sensors, etc. However, a formidable challenge remains in fabricating microfluidic channels with complex shapes during design and verification. Herein, we present a facile approach for manufacturing polystyrene (PS) templates by in-suit combining microscale electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing and mesoscale direct ink writing (DIW). The desired multiscale filament width from 20 μm to > 1 mm could be obtained through appropriate voltage and pressure with continuous printing. The further process parameters for adjusting line width including deposition speed, auxiliary heating for DIW/EHD printing mode were investigated detailly. And we prove the stability and feasibility for producing microfluidics via the method by AFM, EDS and filling test. Based on the solubility of PS in the organic solvent, we can readily reconfigure the existing template by erasing and printing part of the patterns for better remanufacturing. Finally, the LM-filling PDMS microfluidic is experimented to demonstrate the future potential and advantage of the printing technology for fabricating the flexible microfluidic device.

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Acknowledgements

This work is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51875253, No. 51905216, and No. 21788102) and the China Scholarship Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Jiawen Xu, Haodong Hong, Zhenyu Wang, Xinhu Sun & Yu Liu

  2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Food Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Zhenyu Wang & Yu Liu

  3. Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Yen Wei

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  1. Jiawen Xu
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  4. Xinhu Sun
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Correspondence to Yen Wei or Yu Liu.

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Xu, J., Hong, H., Wang, Z. et al. Multiscale Prototyping Approach via In-situ Switching Electrohydrodynamics for Flexible Microfluidic Design. Int. J. of Precis. Eng. and Manuf.-Green Tech. 11, 353–364 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40684-023-00543-2

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