POLYCARBONATE (PC) MOLDING MICROFLUIDICS SETUP
Fabricate Polycarbonate chips in only 1 hour
Perform the whole microfabrication process outside of a clean room
Get chips that are resistant to high pressures and mechanical stresses
PDMS chip microfabrication
PDMS is a widely used material for the fabrication of microfluidic devices, mainly because of its low cost, elasticity and ease of fabrication.
In our molding setup, the microfabrication of PDMS chips is performed outside of a clean room. Initially, PDMS is mixed with a curing agent and degassed in a desiccator. Then, the elastomer is poured onto a mold and cured in a conventional oven. Following curing, the chips are demolded, accurately cut, and inlet perforations are created using biopsy punchers. Lastly, the PDMS is firmly fixed to a glass slide following its treatment in a plasma cleaner.
However, due to PDMS limited chemical compatibility, high gas permeability, and low throughput, researchers started looking for replacement materials with better properties, such as thermoplastics.
Switching to Polycarbonate (PC) molding
Consequently, our team of engineers and researchers turned the PDMS microfabrication process into a thermoplastic molding setup for microfluidic chip fabrication. Particularly, they developed the Polycarbonate (PC) molding setup.
Polycarbonate (PC) is an optically transparent material, allowing for easy visualization and monitoring of fluids within microfluidic channels. In addition, it’s a durable and rigid thermoplastic material with high mechanical strength. Notably, this material is known for its excellent wide-range chemical resistance, biocompatibility, and commercial availability which makes it adapted for mass manufacturing. Furthermore, PC is thermally stable, which confers to the fabricated microfluidic chips a resistance to elevated temperatures during fabrication processes and experimental operations.
Overall, the combination of transparency, mechanical strength, chemical resistance, thermal stability, biocompatibility, and commercial availability makes polycarbonate a versatile and attractive material for microfluidic chips fabrication.
The microfabrication of Polycarbonate follows the same steps as for the thermoplastic chip microfabrication, and both can be performed outside of a clean room.
In our polycarbonate molding microfluidic setup, we streamline the initial time-consuming phase by implementing a significantly faster hot-embossing process. Subsequently, chip preparation is simplified using drilling tools. Finally, the chip is sealed using the existing plasma cleaner and an added laminator.
By integrating our recommended heat press and laminator into your workflow and adhering to our guidelines, you can seamlessly transition from PDMS microfabrication to PC material molding setup.
Your PDMS microfabrication process is different, and you don’t have all the listed equipment? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! We can provide you with all the necessary pieces and consumables; just drop us a line!
Technical specifications
The polycarbonate (PC) molding microfluidic setup comprises:
Heat press with double heating plate
- Dimensions: 420*550*680mm.
- Max temperature: 300 °C.
- Pressure range: 0-25 tons.
Laminator
- Dimensions: 270*545*130 mm (L x w x h)
- Max. laminated width: 335 mm
- Max. laminated thickness: 35 mm
- Max temperature: 140 °C.
Options: Drilling machine
Consumables: Polycarbonate sheets.
Compatibility and Applications
The PC molding setup can also be used with:
Microfluidic chips produced with PC molding can be employed in:
- Lab-on-a-chip applications, such as nanomaterial synthesis
- Cell culture experiments, such as organ-on-a-chip, gut-on-a-chip
- Applications requiring specific-chip design and chemical inertia
Does the process also involve mold fabrication?
Currently, the polycarbonate (PC) molding microfluidic setup focuses on the chip fabrication and bonding from a pre-existing mold. However, we do have expertise to advise you in how to make your own molds.
What is the resolution of the Polycarbonate microfluidic devices?
Resolutions as low as 15 µm (channel width) for an aspect ratio of 2:1 can be achieved.
What maximum pressure can the devices withstand?
Based on internal testing, up to 3.5 bar.
What material can I use to close the chip?
The chip can be closed with a thermoplastic slide, a microscope glass slide or a microscopy-compatible polymer slide.
Is this process compatible with microscopy/reversed microscopy?
Polycarbonate is optically transparent and well-adapted to microscopy.
Funding and Support
The BIOPROS and MICRO4NANO projects results helped develop this instrument pack, with funding from the European Union’s Horizon research and innovation program under HORIZON-CL4-2021-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-27, grant agreement no. 101070120 and the European Union under H2020-MSCA-RISE-2020, grant agreement No. 101007804.
Special thanks to Micaela Fernandes and Widad Mesbahi, who largely contributed to the development of this pack.
