![]() The high-volume processes-such as hot embossing, micro-injection moulding, and film or sheet processes-have a particularly important role for the commercial production of microfluidic devices. ![]() The lower volume processes are typically serial, and we describe use of casting, laminate manufacturing, laser fabrication, and 3D printing. The processes are then arranged into low- and high-volume manufacturing techniques. We then describe the methods of manufacturing of a mould or a master that can be used for high-volume replication in terms of mechanical (micro-cutting, ultrasonic machining), energy-assisted (electrodischarge, micro-electrochemical, laser ablation, electron beam, focused ion beam), traditional MEMS and fabrication on curved surfaces. The potential for the transfer of plastics processing knowledge from macro to microstructuring in the drive to mass produce microfluidic devices.īefore moving into specific manufacturing processes, we first consider the main polymer types used within microfluidic devices and their physical properties. The traditional microfabrication approaches have several drawbacks: Silicon patterning usually uses anisotropic wet etching by potassium hydroxide (KOH) and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), or dry etching by reactive ion etching (RIE) and deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) quartz and glass patterning usually uses isotropic wet etching by hydrofluoric acid (HF). Early microfluidic devices typically employed silicon, quartz, or glass materials with well-established microfabrication photolithography, etching, and deposition processes. Microfluidics systems usually have channel dimensions of several tens to hundreds of microns and handle fluids in small quantities from 1 atto-litre to 1 nano-litre. These microfluidic devices have shown great potential to reduce cost in manufacturing, consumption of reagents, and time of analysis and to increase device efficiency and portability. Among various applications, microfluidic devices which handle small amounts of fluids for medical, biological, and chemistry applications are developing rapidly. The reduction in size, weight, and power consumption improvement in sensitivity and the characteristics of low-cost batch manufacturing of these devices have made the technology very appealing for numerous applications. Microfluidic and micromachines have drawn significant attention since their introduction in the 1990s. The approaches for microfluidic device fabrications are described in terms of low volume production (casting, lamination, laser ablation, 3D printing) and high-volume production (hot embossing, injection moulding, and film or sheet operations). Replications approaches require fabrication of mould or master and we describe different methods of mould manufacture, including mechanical (micro-cutting ultrasonic machining), energy-assisted methods (electrodischarge machining, micro-electrochemical machining, laser ablation, electron beam machining, focused ion beam (FIB) machining), traditional micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) processes, as well as mould fabrication approaches for curved surfaces. Here, we describe direct and replication approaches for manufacturing of polymer microfluidic devices. ![]() Polymer based microfluidic devices offer particular advantages including those of cost and biocompatibility. Outlooks of millifluidics, microfluidics, and nanofluidics are discussed at the end.Microfluidic devices offer the potential to automate a wide variety of chemical and biological operations that are applicable for diagnostic and therapeutic operations with higher efficiency as well as higher repeatability and reproducibility. ![]() Recent developments and applications of millifluidics, microfluidics, and nanofluidics are described to provide an overview on current researches. Device fabrication techniques are summarized including additive and nonadditive manufacturing methods for millifluidics and microfluidics and top-down and bottom-up strategies for nanofluidics. The major physics associated with flow property and interactions of millifluidics, microfluidics, and nanofluidics are discussed in detail, especially the differences arising from different length scales. Here, we systematically review millifluidics, microfluidics, and nanofluidics with dimensions ranging from millimeters to nanometers. Manipulating fluids at varying length scales and understanding their underlying mechanisms are significant for interdisciplinary studies of physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering fluid manipulation plays an important role in both scientific research and industrial applications. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |