Bonding Techniques for Thermoplastic Microfluidics
Chia-Wen Tsao and Don L. DeVoe
from: Lab-on-a-Chip Technology (Vol. 1): Fabrication and Microfluidics (Edited by: Keith E. Herold and Avraham Rasooly). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2009)
Abstract
The use of thermoplastic polymers as microfluidic substrates is a robust and growing area of research, with important implications for the development of low cost disposable microfluidic devices for a host of bioanalytical applications. Substrate bonding is a critical step required for the formation of sealed microchannels within thermoplastic chips. Unlike silicon and glass, the diverse material properties of thermoplastics opens the door to an extensive array of substrate bonding options, together with a set of unique challenges which must be addressed to achieve optimal sealing results. This chapter reviews the range of techniques developed for sealing thermoplastic microfluidics. In addition to summarizing and discussing practical issues surrounding these various bonding methods, detailed process descriptions for selected sealing techniques are provided read more ...
