(187d) Masked Stereolithography 3D Printing for Rapid Fabrication of Microfluidic Devices with Functional Components and Fluorescence Thermometry

The rapid prototyping and fabrication of microfluidic devices have been significantly enhanced by the use of 3D printing technologies, such as masked stereolithography (MSLA). This study presents the use of inexpensive desktop SLA printers and the development of a custom UV curable resin to rapidly fabricate microfluidics chips with functional components. Our resin chemistry enables transparent stereolithography prints with tunable mechanical properties and the integration of functional nanostructures in the polymer matrix. We demonstrate the fabrication of unibody microfluidic chips with embedded channels and microscale features, and functional components in a single step print process. Furthermore, we show that by changing the crosslinking density of the resins, we can print flexible and porous components that can serve as microfluidic valves and membranes respectively. Additionally, we explore the feasibility of integrating Rhodamine B dye into the custom resin for non-contact fluorescence thermometry in microfluidic systems, offering a non-invasive and convenient temperature measurement alternative to traditional contact-based methods. We investigated the thermometric properties of Rhodamine B and the compatibility of the dye-resin mixture for photopolymerization and 3D printing. Taken together, this study highlights the benefits of using inexpensive MSLA 3D printing and custom resin formulations for rapid prototyping and fabrication of microfluidic devices with integrated non-contact thermal sensing capabilities, offering significant improvements in efficiency and versatility over conventional photolithography-based methods.