Generation of precision microstructures based on reconfigurable photoresponsive hydrogels for high-resolution polymer replication and microoptics.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38971797.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-50008-6 and PMC identifier 11227548.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Microstructured molds are essential for fabricating various components ranging from precision optics and microstructured surfaces to microfluidics. However, conventional fabrication technology such as photolithography requires expensive equipment and a large number of processing steps. Here, we report a facile method to fabricate micromolds based on a reusable photoresponsive hydrogel: Uniform micropatterns are engraved into the hydrogel surface using photo masks under UV irradiation within a few minutes. Patterns are replicated using polydimethylsiloxane with minimum feature size of 40 μm and smoothness of R<sub>q</sub> ~ 3.4 nm. After replication, the patterns can be fully erased by light thus allowing for reuse as a new mold without notable loss in performance. Utilizing greyscale lithography, patterns with different height levels can be produced within the same exposure step. We demonstrate the versatility of this method by fabricating diffractive optical elements devices and a microlens array and microfluidic device with 100 µm wide channels.