Differentially photo-crosslinked polymers enable self-assembling microfluidics

An important feature of naturally self-assembled systems such as leaves and tissues is that they are curved and have embedded fluidic channels that enable the transport of nutrients to, or removal of waste from, specific three-dimensional regions. Here we report the self-assembly of photopatterned p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2011-11, Vol.2 (1), p.527-527, Article 527
Main Authors: Jamal, Mustapha, Zarafshar, Aasiyeh M., Gracias, David H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/301/923/1028
639/638/11/877
Humanities and Social Sciences
Microfluidics - methods
multidisciplinary
Photochemistry - methods
Polymers - chemistry
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:An important feature of naturally self-assembled systems such as leaves and tissues is that they are curved and have embedded fluidic channels that enable the transport of nutrients to, or removal of waste from, specific three-dimensional regions. Here we report the self-assembly of photopatterned polymers, and consequently microfluidic devices, into curved geometries. We discover that differentially photo-crosslinked SU-8 films spontaneously and reversibly curve on film de-solvation and re-solvation. Photolithographic patterning of the SU-8 films enables the self-assembly of cylinders, cubes and bidirectionally folded sheets. We integrate polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic channels with these SU-8 films to self-assemble curved microfluidic networks. Leaves and tissues contain three-dimensional networks of fluidic channels, but similar artificial self-assembling systems have not yet been produced. Jamal et al . develop methods to produce three-dimensional microfluidic networks with curved geometries from the self-assembly of photopatterned polymers.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/ncomms1531