"Do-it-in-classroom" fabrication of microfluidic systems by replica moulding of pasta structures

Ngan Nguyen; Peter Thurgood; Jiu Yang Zhu; Elena Pirogova; Sara Baratchi; Khashayar Khoshmanesh

doi:10.1063/1.5042684

"Do-it-in-classroom" fabrication of microfluidic systems by replica moulding of pasta structures

Biomicrofluidics. 2018 Aug 20;12(4):044115. doi: 10.1063/1.5042684. eCollection 2018 Jul.

Authors

Ngan Nguyen¹, Peter Thurgood¹, Jiu Yang Zhu¹, Elena Pirogova¹, Sara Baratchi², Khashayar Khoshmanesh¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia.
² School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia.

Abstract

Here, we describe a novel method for fabrication of microfluidic structures in classroom environments. This method is based on replica moulding of pasta structures in polydimethylsiloxane. Placing pasta structures on a petroleum jelly base layer enables templating round-shaped structures with controllable cross-sectional profiles. The pasta structures can be easily deformed and combined to create more complex 3D microfluidic structures. Proof-of-concept experiments indicate the capability of this method for studying the mixing of neighbouring flows, generation of droplets, lateral migration of particles, as well as culturing, shear stress stimulation, and imaging of cells. Our "do-it-in-classroom" method bridges the gap between the classroom and the laboratory.