This Account summarizes techniques for fabrication and applications in biomedicine of microfluidic devices fabricated in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The methods and applications described focus on the exploitation of the physical and chemical properties of PDMS in the fabrication or actuation of the devices. Fabrication of channels in PDMS is simple, and it can be used to incorporate other materials and structures through encapsulation or sealing (both reversible and irreversible).

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) as a material for fabricating microfluidic devices.

1: Magnetic Particles: Preparation, Properties and Applications: M. Ozaki. 2: Maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3): A Versatile Magnetic Colloidal Material C.J. Serna, M.P. Morales. 3: Dynamics of Adsorption and Oxidation of Organic Molecules on Illuminated Titanium Dioxide Particles Immersed in Water M.A. Blesa, R.J. Candal, S.A. Bilmes. 4: Colloidal Aggregation in Two-Dimensions A. Moncho-Jorda, F. Martinez-Lopez, M.A. Cabrerizo-Vilchez, R. Hidalgo Alvarez, M. Quesada-PMerez. 5: Kinetics of Particle and Protein Adsorption Z. Adamczyk.

Surface and Colloid Science

An issue in microfabrication of the fluidic channels in glass/poly (dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) is the absence of a well-defined study of the bonding strength between the surfaces making up these channels. Although most of the research papers mention the use of oxygen plasma for developing chemical (siloxane) bonds between the participating surfaces, yet they only define a certain set of parameters, tailored to a specific setup. An important requirement of all the microfluidics/biosensors industry is the development of a general regime, which defines a systematic method of gauging the bond strength between the participating surfaces in advance by correlation to a common parameter. This enhances the reliability of the devices and also gives a structured approach to its future large-scale manufacturing. In this paper, we explore the possibility of the existence of a common scale, which can be used to gauge bond strength between various surfaces. We find that the changes in wettability of surfaces owing to various levels of plasma exposure can be a useful parameter to gauge the bond strength. We obtained a good correlation between contact angle of deionized water (a direct measure of wettability) on the PDMS and glass surfaces based on various dosages or oxygen plasma treatment. The exposure was done first in an inductively coupled high-density (ICP) plasma system and then in plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system. This was followed by the measurement of bond strength by use or the standardized blister test.

Studies on surface wettability of poly(dimethyl) siloxane (PDMS) and glass under oxygen-plasma treatment and correlation with bond strength

Transfer printing represents a set of techniques for deterministic assembly of micro-and nanomaterials into spatially organized, functional arrangements with two and three-dimensional layouts. Such processes provide versatile routes not only to test structures and vehicles for scientific studies but also to high-performance, heterogeneously integrated functional systems, including those in flexible electronics, three-dimensional and/or curvilinear optoelectronics, and bio-integrated sensing and therapeutic devices. This article summarizes recent advances in a variety of transfer printing techniques, ranging from the mechanics and materials aspects that govern their operation to engineering features of their use in systems with varying levels of complexity. A concluding section presents perspectives on opportunities for basic and applied research, and on emerging use of these methods in high throughput, industrial-scale manufacturing.

Transfer Printing Techniques for Materials Assembly and Micro/Nanodevice Fabrication

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has become a staple of the microfluidics community by virtue of its simple fabrication process and material attributes, such as gas permeability, optical transparency, and flexibility. As microfluidic systems are put toward biological problems and increasingly utilized as cell culture platforms, the material properties of PDMS must be considered in a biological context. Two properties of PDMS were addressed in this study: the leaching of uncured oligomers from the polymer network into microchannel media, and the absorption of small, hydrophobic molecules (i.e.estrogen) from serum-containing media into the polymer bulk. Uncured PDMS oligomers were detectable viaMALDI-MS in microchannel media both before and after Soxhlet extraction of PDMS devices in ethanol. Additionally, PDMS oligomers were identified in the plasma membranes of NMuMG cells cultured in PDMS microchannels for 24 hours. Cells cultured in extracted microchannels also contained a detectable amount of uncured PDMS. It was shown that MCF-7 cells seeded directly on PDMS inserts were responsive to hydrophilic prolactin but not hydrophobic estrogen, reflecting its specificity for absorbing small, hydrophobic molecules; and the presence of PDMS floating in wells significantly reduced cellular response to estrogen in a serum-dependent manner. Quantification of estrogenvia ELISA revealed that microchannel estrogen partitioned rapidly into the surrounding PDMS to a ratio of approximately 9:1. Pretreatments such as blocking with serum or pre-absorbing estrogen for 24 hours did not affect estrogen loss from PDMS-based microchannels. These findings highlight the importance of careful consideration of culture system properties when determining an appropriate environment for biological experiments.

Biological implications of polydimethylsiloxane-based microfluidic cell culture.

Hydrophobic Recovery of Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomer Exposed to Partial Electrical Discharge

Most of the silicone materials used for Hv outdoor insulation are high-consistency, heat cured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers. The unique properties of PDMS that make it suitable for HV applications are reviewed. The surface of these elastomers can be rendered hydrophilic by exposure to discharges. A time and temperature dependent hydrophobic recovery ensues when exposure ceases. A variety of surface characterization investigations have established that corona exposure forms a brittle, wettable, silica-like layer on the surface of most PDMS elastomers. This is consistent with similar effects from oxygen and inert gas plasma treatment. There is still considerable debate as to the relative importance of the two major mechanisms postulated to account for the hydrophobic recovery after corona discharge. The diffusion mechanism invokes migration of low molecular weight species from the interior to the surface, while the reorientation or overturn mechanism envisages a surface reorganization with polar entities such as silanol groups resulting from surface oxidation rotating away and being replaced by methyl groups in the outermost surface layers. In our view, the highly crosslinked silicalike layer cannot reorient readily between hydrophilic and hydrophobic states at the surface, suggesting that diffusion of low molecular weight PDMS components is the more important mechanism of hydrophobic recovery. Recent data obtained on PDMS samples free from lowmolecular- weight diffusible species show that hydrophobic recovey may be due to in-situ depolymerization.

Hydrophobicity loss and recovery of silicone HV insulation

https://www.lehigh.edu/~mkc4/our%20papers/Kim_JCIS_2001.pdf

The Mechanisms of Hydrophobic Recovery of Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomers Exposed to Partial Electrical Discharges

https://www.lehigh.edu/~mkc4/our%20papers/Kim_JCIS_2006.pdf

Jongsoo Kim

Papers

Hydrophobic Recovery of Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomer Exposed to Partial Electrical Discharge

Hydrophobicity loss and recovery of silicone HV insulation

The Mechanisms of Hydrophobic Recovery of Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomers Exposed to Partial Electrical Discharges

Modeling hydrophobic recovery of electrically discharged polydimethylsiloxane elastomers.