Programmable microfluidic logic device fabricated with a shape memory polymer.

Abstract

Manipulation of particles in a microfluidic system is an important research subject in biomedical engineering. However, most conventional passive techniques for particle control have difficulties in integrating other functions into microfluidic channels. A unique microfluidic valve was proposed in this study for switchable particle control by employing a shape memory polymer (SMP). A microfluidic logic device can be programmed based on deformation of the SMP microchannel constructed on a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) film. Particles in a viscoelastic flow were focused at preferred equilibrium locations by the competition between inertia and elastic forces. The channel shape played an important role in determining those forces in the channel. Hydrodynamic behavior and shape recovery behavior of the SMP microchannel were modeled theoretically. It was confirmed that the particle valve prepared with the SMP implemented a programmable binary logic operation in the microfluidic channel.