Manufacturable plastic microfluidic valves using thermal actuation

A low-cost, manufacturable, thermally actuated, plastic microfluidic valve has been developed. The valve contains an encapsulated, temperature-sensitive fluid, which expands, deflecting a thin elastomeric film into a fluidic channel to control fluid flow. The power input for thermal expansion of each microfluidic valve can be controlled using a printed circuit board (PCB)-based controller, which is suitable for mass production and large-scale integration. A plastic microfluidic device with such valves was fabricated using compression molding and thermal lamination. The operation of the valves was investigated by measuring a change in the microchannel's ionic conduction current mediated by the resistance variation corresponding to the deflection of the microvalve. Valve closing was also confirmed by the disappearance of fluorescence when a fluorescent solution was displaced in the valve region. Valve operation was characterized for heater power ranging from 36 mW to 80 mW. When the valve was actuating, the local channel temperature was 10 to 19 °C above the ambient temperature depending on the heater power used. Repetitive valve operations (up to 50 times) have been demonstrated with a flow resulting from a hydrostatic head. Valve operation was tested for a flow rate of 0.33–4.7 µL/min.