Microfluidic vias enable nested bioarrays and autoregulatory devices in Newtonian fluids

Creators: Kartalov, Emil P.; Walker, Christopher; Taylor, Clive R.; Anderson, W. French; Scherer, Axel

Abstract

We report on a fundamental technological advance for multilayer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics. Vertical passages (vias), connecting channels located in different layers, are fabricated monolithically, in parallel, by simple and easy means. The resulting 3D connectivity greatly expands the potential complexity of microfluidic architecture. We apply the vias to printing nested bioarrays and building autoregulatory devices. A current source is demonstrated, while a diode and a rectifier are derived; all are building blocks for analog circuitry in Newtonian fluids. We also describe microfluidic septa and their applications. Vias lay the foundation for a new generation of microfluidic devices.

Additional Information

© 2006 by the National Academy of Sciences. Edited by George M. Whitesides, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, and approved June 28, 2006 (received for review April 14, 2006). Published online before print August 3, 2006, 10.1073/pnas.0602890103. This paper was submitted directly (Track II) to the PNAS office. We thank Alejandra Torres, Christina Morales, and Ali Ghaffari from the Caltech Microfluidics Foundry for their help with device fabrication. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant 1R01 HG002644-01A1, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Grant HR0011-04-1-0032, and Boeing's Multifunctional NanoSystem Technologies program. Author contributions: E.P.K., C.W., W.F.A., and A.S. designed research; E.P.K. performed research; C.R.T. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; E.P.K. analyzed data; and E.P.K. wrote the paper. Conflict of interest statement: No conflicts declared.

Attached Files

Published - KARpnas06.pdf

Files

KARpnas06.pdf

Files (864.0 kB)

Name	Size	Download all
KARpnas06.pdf md5:3577ae39c856f0dbd75542b28bb714b9	864.0 kB	Preview Download

Additional details

	All versions	This version
Views	0	0
Downloads	0	0
Data volume	0 Bytes	0 Bytes