Assessing the Reusability of 3D-Printed Photopolymer Microfluidic Chips for Urine Processing

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Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is emerging as a method for microfluidic device fabrication boasting facile and low-cost fabrication, as compared to conventional fabrication approaches, such as photolithography, for poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) counterparts. Additionally, there is an increasing trend in the development and implementation of miniaturized and automatized devices for health monitoring. While nonspecific protein adsorption by PDMS has been studied as a limitation for reusability, the protein adsorption characteristics of 3D-printed materials have not been well-studied or characterized. With these rationales in mind, we study the reusability of 3D-printed microfluidics chips. Herein, a 3D-printed cleaning chip, consisting of inlets for the sample, cleaning solution, and air, and a universal outlet, is presented to assess the reusability of a 3D-printed microfluidic device. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used a representative urinary protein and phosphate-buffered solution (PBS) was chosen as the cleaning agent. Using the 3-(4-carboxybenzoyl)quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde (CBQCA) fluorescence detection method, the protein cross-contamination between samples and the protein uptake of the cleaning chip were assessed, demonstrating a feasible 3D-printed chip design and cleaning procedure to enable reusable microfluidic devices. The performance of the 3D-printed cleaning chip for real urine sample handling was then validated using a commercial dipstick assay.

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Most cited references 44

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The upcoming 3D-printing revolution in microfluidics.

Nirveek Bhattacharjee, Arturo Urrios, Shawn Kang … (2016)

In the last two decades, the vast majority of microfluidic systems have been built in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) by soft lithography, a technique based on PDMS micromolding. A long list of key PDMS properties have contributed to the success of soft lithography: PDMS is biocompatible, elastomeric, transparent, gas-permeable, water-impermeable, fairly inexpensive, copyright-free, and rapidly prototyped with high precision using simple procedures. However, the fabrication process typically involves substantial human labor, which tends to make PDMS devices difficult to disseminate outside of research labs, and the layered molding limits the 3D complexity of the devices that can be produced. 3D-printing has recently attracted attention as a way to fabricate microfluidic systems due to its automated, assembly-free 3D fabrication, rapidly decreasing costs, and fast-improving resolution and throughput. Resins with properties approaching those of PDMS are being developed. Here we review past and recent efforts in 3D-printing of microfluidic systems. We compare the salient features of PDMS molding with those of 3D-printing and we give an overview of the critical barriers that have prevented the adoption of 3D-printing by microfluidic developers, namely resolution, throughput, and resin biocompatibility. We also evaluate the various forces that are persuading researchers to abandon PDMS molding in favor of 3D-printing in growing numbers.

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3D printed microfluidic devices: enablers and barriers.

Sidra Waheed, Joan M Cabot, Niall P Macdonald … (2016)

3D printing has the potential to significantly change the field of microfluidics. The ability to fabricate a complete microfluidic device in a single step from a computer model has obvious attractions, but it is the ability to create truly three dimensional structures that will provide new microfluidic capability that is challenging, if not impossible to make with existing approaches. This critical review covers the current state of 3D printing for microfluidics, focusing on the four most frequently used printing approaches: inkjet (i3DP), stereolithography (SLA), two photon polymerisation (2PP) and extrusion printing (focusing on fused deposition modeling). It discusses current achievements and limitations, and opportunities for advancement to reach 3D printing's full potential.

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3D-Printed Microfluidics.

Anthony Au, Wilson Huynh, Lisa Horowitz … (2016)

The advent of soft lithography allowed for an unprecedented expansion in the field of microfluidics. However, the vast majority of PDMS microfluidic devices are still made with extensive manual labor, are tethered to bulky control systems, and have cumbersome user interfaces, which all render commercialization difficult. On the other hand, 3D printing has begun to embrace the range of sizes and materials that appeal to the developers of microfluidic devices. Prior to fabrication, a design is digitally built as a detailed 3D CAD file. The design can be assembled in modules by remotely collaborating teams, and its mechanical and fluidic behavior can be simulated using finite-element modeling. As structures are created by adding materials without the need for etching or dissolution, processing is environmentally friendly and economically efficient. We predict that in the next few years, 3D printing will replace most PDMS and plastic molding techniques in academia.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Micromachines (Basel)

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Micromachines (Basel)

Journal ID (publisher-id): micromachines

Title: Micromachines

Publisher: MDPI

ISSN (Electronic): 2072-666X

Publication date (Electronic): 15 October 2018

Publication date Collection: October 2018

Volume: 9

Issue: 10

Electronic Location Identifier: 520

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; eric.lepowsky@ 123456uconn.edu (E.L.); reza.amin@ 123456uconn.edu (R.A.)

[2 ]Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA

[3 ]Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA

[4 ]Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA

[5 ]The Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA

Author notes

[* ]Correspondence: savas.tasoglu@ 123456uconn.edu ; Tel.: +1-860-486-5919

Article

Publisher ID: micromachines-09-00520

DOI: 10.3390/mi9100520

PMC ID: 6215198

SO-VID: cf6fcfa8-2058-4532-9981-37dcef9f28e2

License:

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Assessing the Reusability of 3D-Printed Photopolymer Microfluidic Chips for Urine Processing

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Abstract

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New directions in predictive processing

Most cited references 44

The upcoming 3D-printing revolution in microfluidics.

3D printed microfluidic devices: enablers and barriers.

3D-Printed Microfluidics.

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