Quantitative Determination of 3D-Printing and Surface-Treatment Conditions for Direct-Printed Microfluidic Devices

We report a quantitative and systematic method for determining 3D-printing and surface-treatment conditions that can help improve the optical quality of direct-printed microfluidic devices. Digital light processing (DLP)-stereolithography (SLA) printing was extensively studied in microfluidics owing to the rapid, one-step, cleanroom-free, maskless, and high-definition microfabrication of 3D-microfluidic devices. However, optical imaging or detection for bioassays in DLP-SLA-printed microfluidic devices are limited by the translucence of photopolymerized resins. Various approaches, including mechanical abrasions, chemical etching, polymer coatings, and printing on transparent glass/plastic slides, were proposed to address this limitation. However, the effects of these methods have not been analyzed quantitatively or systematically. For the first time, we propose quantitative and methodological determination of 3D-printing and surface-treatment conditions, based on optical-resolution analysis using USAF 1951 resolution test targets and a fluorescence microbead slide through 3D-printed coverslip chips. The key printing parameters (resin type, build orientation, layer thickness, and layer offset) and surface-treatment parameters (grit number for sanding, polishing time with alumina slurry, and type of refractive-index-matching coatings) were determined in a step-wise manner. As a result, we achieved marked improvements in resolution (from 80.6 to 645.1 lp/mm) and contrast (from 3.30 to 27.63% for 645.1 lp/mm resolution). Furthermore, images of the fluorescence microbeads were qualitatively analyzed to evaluate the proposed 3D-printing and surface-treatment approach for fluorescence imaging applications. Finally, the proposed method was validated by fabricating an acoustic micromixer chip and fluorescently visualizing cavitation microstreaming that emanated from an oscillating bubble captured inside the chip. We expect that our approach for enhancing optical quality will be widely used in the rapid manufacturing of 3D-microfluidic chips for optical assays.

Automated summary

A quantitative and systematic method for determining 3D-printing and surface-treatment conditions to improve the optical quality of direct-printed microfluidic devices is reported. By analyzing different parameters, a new approach to improve resolution and contrast was proposed. This method can be widely used in the rapid manufacturing of microfluidic chips for optical assays.