One-step liquid molding based modular microfluidic circuits.

Modular concepts open a new way to create customized integrated microfluidic devices for the changing needs of users. However, easy-to-follow modular construction at the micro-scale remains a crucial challenge. Here, we present a one-step liquid molding based modular method. Liquid molding was coupled with standard SU-8 lithography to fabricate the connection adapters and the intricate micro-flow networks of modules. The connection adapter in each of the modules with three-dimensional topographic structures bridges the gap between the macroscopic world and the microfluidic network. Analogous to electronic circuits, individual functional components were assembled together via the standard fused silica capillary tubing in series or parallel, forming a leak-free integrated whole. The modular microfluidic circuits were further applied to pathogenic bacteria detection and parallel droplet generation. Via these applications, we demonstrated that modular circuits can be easily assembled and disassembled, thus enabling easy reconfiguration. Additionally, the ability to incorporate components made from different materials was exhibited.

[1]  Tae Seok Seo,et al.  Centrifugal loop-mediated isothermal amplification microdevice for rapid, multiplex and colorimetric foodborne pathogen detection. , 2016, Biosensors & bioelectronics.

[2]  Wei Xue,et al.  Surface treatment of polymers for the fabrication of all-polymer MEMS devices , 2012 .

[3]  G. Whitesides.  The origins and the future of microfluidics , 2006, Nature.

[4]  D. Ingber,et al.  Microfluidic organs-on-chips , 2014, Nature Biotechnology.

[5]  Mark A Burns,et al.  Microfluidic assembly blocks. , 2008, Lab on a chip.

[6]  F. Schwemmer,et al.  LabDisk with complete reagent prestorage for sample-to-answer nucleic acid based detection of respiratory pathogens verified with influenza A H3N2 virus. , 2016, Lab on a chip.

[7]  Angeliki Tserepi,et al.  A modular integrated lab-on-a-chip platform for fast and highly efficient sample preparation for foodborne pathogen screening , 2019, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.

[8]  Darwin R. Reyes,et al.  Micro total analysis systems. 1. Introduction, theory, and technology. , 2002, Analytical chemistry.

[9]  Sidra Waheed,et al.  3D printed microfluidic devices: enablers and barriers. , 2016, Lab on a chip.

[10]  L J Millet,et al.  Modular microfluidics for point-of-care protein purifications. , 2015, Lab on a chip.

[11]  Luke P. Lee,et al.  Self-powered integrated microfluidic point-of-care low-cost enabling (SIMPLE) chip , 2017, Science Advances.

[12]  Peng Liu,et al.  Modular-Based Integrated Microsystem with Multiple Sample Preparation Modules for Automated Forensic DNA Typing from Reference to Challenging Samples. , 2019, Analytical chemistry.

[13]  Stephen R. Quake,et al.  Genome-wide Single-Cell Analysis of Recombination Activity and De Novo Mutation Rates in Human Sperm , 2012, Cell.

[14]  Brian N. Johnson,et al.  Flexible casting of modular self-aligning microfluidic assembly blocks. , 2011, Lab on a chip.

[15]  Huan Li,et al.  Self-aligning Tetris-Like (TILE) modular microfluidic platform for mimicking multi-organ interactions. , 2019, Lab on a chip.

[16]  L. Chu,et al.  Plug-n-play microfluidic systems from flexible assembly of glass-based flow-control modules. , 2015, Lab on a chip.

[17]  E. Verpoorte,et al.  Digestion-on-a-chip: a continuous-flow modular microsystem recreating enzymatic digestion in the gastrointestinal tract. , 2019, Lab on a chip.

[18]  Bingcheng Lin,et al.  Patterned paper as a low-cost, flexible substrate for rapid prototyping of PDMS microdevices via "liquid molding". , 2011, Analytical chemistry.

[19]  Evan Z. Macosko,et al.  Highly Parallel Genome-wide Expression Profiling of Individual Cells Using Nanoliter Droplets , 2015, Cell.

[20]  Mathieu Odijk,et al.  From chip-in-a-lab to lab-on-a-chip: a portable Coulter counter using a modular platform , 2018, Microsystems & nanoengineering.

[21]  Abraham P. Lee,et al.  A truly Lego®-like modular microfluidics platform , 2017 .

[22]  Rafał Walczak,et al.  Inkjet 3D printed modular microfluidic chips for on-chip gel electrophoresis , 2019, Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering.

[23]  B. Lin,et al.  A facile "liquid-molding" method to fabricate PDMS microdevices with 3-dimensional channel topography. , 2009, Lab on a chip.

[24]  Y. Mori,et al.  Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP): a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective diagnostic method for infectious diseases , 2009, Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy.

[25]  Thomas C. Ferrante,et al.  Small airway-on-a-chip enables analysis of human lung inflammation and drug responses in vitro , 2015, Nature Methods.

[26]  Yujin Lee,et al.  Optofluidic Modular Blocks for On-Demand and Open-Source Prototyping of Microfluidic Systems. , 2018, Small.

[27]  Dongping Jin,et al.  A Modular Microfluidic Device via Multimaterial 3D Printing for Emulsion Generation , 2018, Scientific Reports.

[28]  Po Ki Yuen,et al.  A reconfigurable stick-n-play modular microfluidic system using magnetic interconnects. , 2016, Lab on a chip.

[29]  Robin H. Liu,et al.  Self-contained, fully integrated biochip for sample preparation, polymerase chain reaction amplification, and DNA microarray detection. , 2004, Analytical chemistry.

[30]  Peng Zhao,et al.  3D printed Lego®-like modular microfluidic devices based on capillary driving , 2018, Biofabrication.

[31]  D. Weitz,et al.  Single-cell ChIP-seq reveals cell subpopulations defined by chromatin state , 2015, Nature Biotechnology.

[32]  M. Shuler,et al.  Microfluidic blood–brain barrier model provides in vivo‐like barrier properties for drug permeability screening , 2017, Biotechnology and bioengineering.

[33]  Chandra K. Dixit,et al.  Microfluidics for Biologists , 2016, Springer International Publishing.