A Solution to the Clearance Problem of Sacrificial Material in 3D Printing of Microfluidic Devices

3D-printing is poised to enable remarkable advances in a variety of fields, such as artificial muscles, prosthetics, biomedical diagnostics, biofuel cells, flexible electronics, and military logistics. The advantages of automated monolithic fabrication are particularly attractive for complex embedded microfluidics in a wide range of applications. However, before this promise can be fulfilled, the basic problem of removal of sacrificial material from embedded microchannels must be solved. The presented work is an experimental proof of principle of a novel technique for clearance of sacrificial material from embedded microchannels in 3D-printed microfluidics. The technique demonstrates consistent performance (similar to 40-75% clearance) in microchannels with printed width of similar to 200 mu m and above. The presented technique is thus an important enabling tool in achieving the promise of 3D printing in microfluidics and its wide range of applications.

Automated summary

3D printing is expected to make significant advances in fields such as artificial muscles, prosthetics, biomedical diagnostics, biofuel cells, flexible electronics, and military logistics. However, before this can happen, the basic problem of removing sacrificial material from embedded microchannels needs to be solved. The presented technique demonstrates consistent performance in clearing sacrificial material from 3D-printed microfluidics, making it an important tool in realizing the potential of 3D printing in microfluidics and its wide range of applications.