3D-printed microfluidic-microwave device for droplet network formation and characterisation

Silver, Kai Lewis, Li, Jin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4672-6806, Porch, Adrian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5293-8883, Jamieson, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8260-5211, Castell, Oliver Kieran ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6059-8062, Dimitriou, Pantelitsa, Kallnik, Colin and Barrow, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2096-7262 2024. 3D-printed microfluidic-microwave device for droplet network formation and characterisation. Lab on a Chip 24 , pp. 5101-5112. 10.1039/D4LC00387J

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Abstract

Microfluidic–microwave devices (MMDs) have emerged as precision tools for the rapid, accurate, sensitive, and non-invasive characterisation of liquids in low-volumes. However, the fabrication of MMDs remains a significant challenge. This is due to the complexities associated with integrating fluidic ducts and electronic components. Herein, we present a versatile and economical 3D-printing approach using ducts filled with liquid metal as an electrical conductor. Cyclic olefin copolymer, polylactic acid, and polypropylene were identified as printable dielectric materials for MMD fabrication. Substrates of 3D-printed cyclic olefin copolymer exhibited the lowest loss tangent (0.002 at 2.7 GHz), making them suitable materials for high-frequency microwave devices. Liquid metal, specifically gallium–indium eutectic, was injected into the printed ducts to form electrically conductive microwave structures. Exemplary MMDs operating at 2 GHz integrated split-ring microwave resonators that serve as sensitive detection geometries able to measure changes in dielectric properties, with droplet-forming fluidic junctions and flow channels. The performance of 3D-printed MMDs for microwave droplet sensing was comprehensively evaluated. These devices were used in the formation and characterisation of water-in-oil emulsions, constructing definable lipid-segregated droplet interface bilayer (DIB) networks. This work indicates the feasibility of using 3D-printed manifolds for the rapid prototyping of customised MMDs, and also demonstrates the potential of MMDs as new analytical research tools in droplet-based materials and biochemistry studies.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Engineering Pharmacy
Publisher:	Royal Society of Chemistry
ISSN:	1473-0197
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	18 September 2024
Date of Acceptance:	16 August 2024
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2024 11:40
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/172199

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