Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : September 13, 2020 - September 16, 2020
A wide variety of microfluidic devices have been developed for chemical reactions, medical research and PCR testing. Generally, microfluidic devices are made by joining one flat plate with microfluidic channels to another flat plate. Since the microfluidic devices are often used in combination with optical observation, it is necessary to use light-permeable materials to bond the microfluidic plates to minimize the amount of deformation without blocking the microfluidic channel while maintaining the light permeability. Currently, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a type of silicone rubber, is used for research microfluidic devices. However, PDMS is not suitable for mass production because of its soft lithography and other manual processes. Also, since PDMS is gas-permeable, bubbles are generated from the flow channel walls of devices that undergo heating or chemical reactions, which can block the microfluidic channels. Therefore, it is required less expensive materials such as acrylic (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) resins other than PDMS, but the bonding technology has not been established and mass production has not been achieved. In this study, we will establish a diffusion bonding technology for microfluidic devices, which unifies the bonding interface without melting the base material. This will contribute to the mass production of highly functional devices such as PCR chips and disposable medical devices made of less expensive acrylic resin.
