Novel microfluidic interconnectors for high temperature and pressure applications

Reliable microfluidic interconnectors are one of the basic building blocks of integrated fluidic and chemical reaction systems-on-chip. Though many ideas have been proposed and implemented in the literature for creating different kinds of macro-to-micro fluidic connections, development of integrated on-chip connectors for high temperature and pressure microfluidic applications has not been properly studied. Such connectors will be indispensable in true on-chip chemical processing applications for reactions which require more severe operating conditions than those possible using currently available interconnection techniques. In this paper we present novel microfluidic interconnects that can be used in applications involving operating temperatures of up to 275 °C and pressures in excess of 315 Psi (21.43 atm). The only wetted surfaces in this design are teflon, silicon and pyrex glass, making the design inert to most chemicals. High-pressure leakage, pull-out and high-temperature durability tests conducted on the interconnect show that the connections obtained are superior to those reported in the literature using other techniques. Structural analysis of the interconnect is carried out to illustrate the effect of interconnect geometry on strength and high-pressure performance.