Low-cost and versatile integration of microwire electrodes and optical waveguides into silicone elastomeric devices using modified xurographic methods

摘要

A cheap and versatile method for integrating microelectrodes into microfluidic devices could lead to a range of new applications. Microelectrodes enable electrical and optical sensors, as well as heating and cooling elements, to be incorporated into microfluidic devices. However, this integration has proved costly and challenging. In response, P. Ravi Selvaganapathy and colleagues from McMaster University in Canada have developed a simple and inexpensive method that integrates microwires into a polydimethylsiloxane ( PDMS ) substrate. First, a pattern of slits is cut into the PDMS, using a technique known as xurography. Microwires are then ‘written’ into the slits with a specialized tip, and the device is sealed with an uncured PDMS pre-polymer. The team’s approach offers a fast and versatile technique for fabricating lab-on-chip devices that lays the foundations for new microfluidic and micromechanical applications.