Purdue University researcher Huachao Mao and his team have developed a new method for fabricating economical multilevel microfluidic devices as small as 10 microns deep and 100 microns wide. These devices, which are used in diagnostic systems to analyze small volumes of materials, have a wide range of applications including cancer cell analysis, drug screenings, environmental testing, and more.
The innovation, based on vat photopolymerization (VPP) technology, allows for the direct fabrication of highly transparent microfluidics with channels as narrow as 100 microns. This method is seen as an improvement over traditional fabrication methods and 3D printing, making the process more cost-effective and efficient.
By controlling fluid flow and reaction conditions at a microliter or nanoliter scale, these devices can accelerate biomedical research, improve diagnostic tests, and provide portable testing solutions across various fields. Mao noted that the traditional method for fabricating microfluidic devices is costly and time-consuming, requiring multiple steps and high-end equipment.
The research conducted by Mao and his team at Purdue University’s Additive and Intelligent Manufacturing Lab has the potential to revolutionize the field of microfluidics and make these devices more accessible to researchers in different industries. For more information, readers can refer to the full story by Purdue Research Foundation’s Steve Martin.
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