Issue 3, 2011
From the journal:

Lab on a Chip

A fast and simple method to fabricate circular microchannels in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)†

Mohamed Abdelgawad,‡ab   Chun Wu,a   Wei-Yin Chien,c   William R. Geddie,d   Michael A. S. Jewettbe  and  Yu Sun*ac  

* Corresponding authors

a Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
E-mail: sun@mie.utoronto.ca
Fax: +1 416-978-7753
Tel: +1 416-946-0549

b Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Toronto, 100 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

c Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

d Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

e Department of Surgical Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, 610 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

A simple method to fabricate circular microchannels in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is presented. A coating of liquid PDMS is applied on the walls of rectangular microchannels, fabricated using standard soft-lithography, by introducing a pressurized air stream inside the PDMS filled microchannels. Surface tension of the liquid PDMS forces the coating to take a circular cross-section which is preserved by baking the device to cure the coated layer. Diameters ranging from a few micrometres to a few hundreds of micrometres were achieved. The method was verified to work on microchannel networks as well as in straight channels. Different coating conditions were systematically tested. Design curves are reported for one to choose appropriate coating conditions for obtaining a desired diameter. A comparison between the performance of square and circular microchannels in trapping SiHa cells (cervical cancer cell line) is shown.

Graphical abstract: A fast and simple method to fabricate circular microchannels in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C0LC00093K
Article type
Technical Note
Submitted
11 Jun 2010
Accepted
15 Oct 2010
First published
16 Nov 2010

Lab Chip, 2011,11, 545-551

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A fast and simple method to fabricate circular microchannels in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)

M. Abdelgawad, C. Wu, W. Chien, W. R. Geddie, M. A. S. Jewett and Y. Sun, Lab Chip, 2011, 11, 545 DOI: 10.1039/C0LC00093K

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