Hollow copper microneedle made by local electrodeposition-based additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing offers the opportunity to manufacture microscale devices with custom designs such as microneedles, which have potential use in the transdermal delivery of vaccines or drugs. In this paper, a hollow microneedle was created out of copper using a local electrodeposition-based additive manufacturing processing. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that the microneedle contained a sharp tip and a hollow bore. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed the presence of copper, oxygen, copper, silicon, and sulfur and the absence of toxic impurities in a solid microneedle. These results suggest that local electrodeposition-based additive manufacturing of copper may be an appropriate approach for producing microneedles and many other types of microscale medical devices.

Automated summary

This paper demonstrates the successful fabrication of a hollow microneedle out of copper using local electrodeposition-based additive manufacturing. The microneedle was found to have a sharp tip and hollow bore, making it suitable for producing various microscale medical devices. The absence of toxic impurities in the solid microneedle suggests that this approach may be appropriate for manufacturing a range of microscale medical devices.