A simple and accessible approach for processing photopolymer master molds for the fabrication of microfluidic polydimethylsiloxane devices

Abstract

The use of three-dimensional (3D) printing for fabrication of master molds for microfluidic devices is very attractive due to its availability and simplicity and replaces the standard methods of soft lithography. However, the commercially available photopolymer resins inhibit the curing of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), preventing reliable replication of 3D printed master mold structures. Here, we present a simple and safe method to post-process 3D printed photopolymer master molds for PDMS microfluidic devices. This approach expands the possibilities of prototyping microfluidic PDMS devices for a wider research community without complex post-processing tools currently required for fabrication of 3D photopolymer master molds.