APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:

	Berkeley Lab's Microfluidic Chip with Integrated Interconnects

• Connecting plastic microfluidic chips with macroscale tools and devices

ADVANTAGES:

• Easy to fabricate
• Withstands pressures over 35 MPa  
• No contamination of samples
• Reliable and cost-effective
• Works with off-the-shelf male fittings
• Small footprint allows for more ports

ABSTRACT:

Dieudonne Mair and Emil Geiger of Berkeley Lab have invented a plastic microfluidic chip with integrated interconnects.   The researchers use inventive mold-making and injection molding processes to fabricate disposable chips with integrated ports that accommodate commercially available male fittings and can withstand pressures over 35 MPa.   The ability to perform at these pressures enables the inclusion of porous materials inside the chip channels to increase surface area and provide functionalization, an ability that previously has been limited by interconnect reliability.   Monolithic integration of the ports also eliminates the need for extra fabrication steps and contaminating bonding agents.

The Berkeley Lab chip is injection molded as two parts and then thermal fusion or solvent vapor bonded.   The inventors have optimized the parameters of the processes to maintain channel shape and ensure a strong bond, achieving low standard deviations in a series of fabrications.   The ports have ANSI-standard internal threads to allow a high-pressure reversible fluid connection between micrometer-scale capillaries and the chip – a connection that facilitates replacement of capillaries damaged at the capillary/chip junction.   The ability to accommodate standard fittings also allows users to easily connect the chip channels with commercially available chromatography equipment.  

The Berkeley Lab chips are fabricated from a plastic with low background florescence, which enables the use of laser induced fluorescence (LIF), a very sensitive detection technique.   The material's high transmission to ultraviolet (UV) and deep-UV light allows the channel walls to be patterned using UV light.

STATUS:

• Published Patent Application. Available for licensing or collaborative research.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Mair, D., Geiger, E., Pisano, A., Frechet, J.M.J., Svec, F.,"Injection Molded Microfluidic Chips Featuring Integrated Interconnects," Lab Chip 2006, DOI: 10.1039/b605911b

REFERENCE NUMBER: IB-2304

SEE THESE OTHER BERKELEY LAB TECHNOLOGIES IN THIS FIELD:

• Monolithic Polymers Revolutionize Microfluidic Devices
• Spatially Controlled Surface Modification of Plastic Microfluidic Devices

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