Construction of Integrated Micro- and Nanofluidic Components by Photopolymerization

Nanofluidic components promise specific advantages over microchannels, from enhanced separations to the capability for single molecule manipulation and measurements. However, the absence of strategies for fabricating sub-micron channels that are registered and integrated within a microfluidic network is a factor in limiting the advancement of nanofluidics. Simultaneous UV nanoembossing and direct photopolymerization offer a particularly facile and robust approach to integrated nanofabrication. The primary advantages of fabricating fluidic components via photopolymerizations include the ability to (1) transform liquid monomers to micro- or nanopatterned, insoluble solid films in a single step, and (2) tune the chemical and physical properties of the patterned films by rational formulation of monomer mixtures. This contribution will provide details related to the development of photopolymer materials for organic or aqueous micro- and nanofluidic applications, the integration of sub-micron components within microfluidic networks in a one-step process, and the application of submicron channels to separations that exploit the very large surface-to-volume ratio characteristic of nanofluidic systems to govern fluid and/or analyte behavior. Ultimately, the photopolymer systems described in this contribution will serve as platforms for self-assembly of individual nanotubes from amphiphilic block copolymers to create synthetic nanopores for single molecule measurement and manipulation.