Mona Rahbar et al 2010 J. Micromech. Microeng. 20 015026 doi:10.1088/0960-1317/20/1/015026
Mona Rahbar1, Sumanpreet Chhina1, Dan Sameoto2,3 and M Parameswaran1
Show affiliationsWe present a low-cost bonding method for polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microfluidics that combines elements of solvent bonding, thermal bonding and microwave bonding. Rather than using specialized equipment, we take household equipment and combine it to produce an effective bonding method that borrows from food packaging technologies for selective heating in a microwave. A poor solvent for PMMA is applied between two halves of a microfluidic system and clamped together using miniature binder clips. Excess solvent from the channels is then drawn out via capillary action and avoids channel clogging during the bonding process. Placing the whole apparatus in a commercial microwave will heat up the thin metal clips and cause the solvent to dissolve and bond the PMMA interface. The whole bonding process takes only a few minutes, and results in high bond strengths.
47.61.Fg Flows in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS)
85.85.+j Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and devices
Issue 1 (January 2010)
Received 10 June 2009, in final form 11 November 2009
Published 7 December 2009
Mona Rahbar et al 2010 J. Micromech. Microeng. 20 015026
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