A METHOD OF PRODUCING A MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE AND MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES

摘要

The present invention relates to a method of producing a microfluidic device with a flow path optionally comprising one or more chambers, e.g. reaction chambers. The method comprises the steps: (i) providing a base substrate with a first surface and a top substrate with a second surface, the substrates e.g. being of polymer material, (ii) hydrophilically treating at least one of the first and the second surfaces to provide a surface layer with a higher surface tension, such as about 60 mN/m or higher, than the surface tension prior to the hydrophilic treatment, (iii) partly or totally removing the surface layer with a higher surface tension in a selected pattern of the hydrophilically treated first and/or second surfaces, e.g. using laser, to thereby provide the selected pattern with a lower surface tension than prior to the partly or totally removal of the surface layer with a higher surface tension in said selected pattern of the hydrophilic treated first and/or second surfaces, and (iv) joining said base substrate and top substrate to each other to provide a flow path between said first and second surfaces. The selected pattern can be shaped with a variety of shapes to obtain the desired hydrophilic/hydrophobic character of the flow path, e.g. a micro- pattern in the form of one or more segments with at least one dimension less than 25 µm, a micro-dotted pattern, a pattern in the form of one or more straight or rounded lines e.g. extending totally or partly across the flow path. The invention also relates to a microfluidic device obtainable by the method.