Fabrication of Microfluidic Devices for Emulsion Formation by Microstereolithography

Droplet microfluidics-the art and science of forming droplets-has been revolutionary for high-throughput screening, directed evolution, single-cell sequencing, and material design. However, traditional fabrication techniques for microfluidic devices suffer from several disadvantages, including multistep processing, expensive facilities, and limited three-dimensional (3D) design flexibility. High-resolution additive manufacturing-and in particular, projection micro-stereolithography (P mu SL)-provides a promising path for overcoming these drawbacks. Similar to polydimethylsiloxane-based microfluidics 20 years ago, 3D printing methods, such as P mu SL, have provided a path toward a new era of microfluidic device design. P mu SL greatly simplifies the device fabrication process, especially the access to truly 3D geometries, is cost-effective, and it enables multimaterial processing. In this review, we discuss both the basics and recent innovations in P mu SL; the material basis with emphasis on custom-made photopolymer formulations; multimaterial 3D printing; and, 3D-printed microfluidic devices for emulsion formation as our focus application. Our goal is to support researchers in setting up their own P mu SL system to fabricate tailor-made microfluidics.

Automated summary

Droplet microfluidics has revolutionized high-throughput screening, directed evolution, single-cell sequencing, and material design. Traditional fabrication techniques have drawbacks, but high-resolution additive manufacturing like PμSL offers a promising solution. PμSL simplifies device fabrication, provides access to 3D geometries, is cost-effective, and enables multimaterial processing.