Version 1
: Received: 7 March 2021 / Approved: 9 March 2021 / Online: 9 March 2021 (09:30:33 CET)
How to cite:
Chen, S.; He, Z.; Choi, S.; Novosselov, I. Characterization of Inkjet-printed Digital Microfluidics Devices. Preprints2021, 2021030246. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0246.v1
Chen, S.; He, Z.; Choi, S.; Novosselov, I. Characterization of Inkjet-printed Digital Microfluidics Devices. Preprints 2021, 2021030246. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0246.v1
Chen, S.; He, Z.; Choi, S.; Novosselov, I. Characterization of Inkjet-printed Digital Microfluidics Devices. Preprints2021, 2021030246. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0246.v1
APA Style
Chen, S., He, Z., Choi, S., & Novosselov, I. (2021). Characterization of Inkjet-printed Digital Microfluidics Devices. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0246.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Chen, S., Suhwan Choi and Igor Novosselov. 2021 "Characterization of Inkjet-printed Digital Microfluidics Devices" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0246.v1
Abstract
Digital microfluidics (DMF) devices enable precise manipulation of small liquid volumes in point-of-care testing. Printed circuit board (PCB) substrate is commonly utilized to build DMF devices. However, inkjet printing can be used to fabricate DMF circuits, providing a less expensive alternative to PCB-based DMF designs while enabling more rapid design iteration cycles. We demonstrate the fabrication process of the inkjet-printed DMF circuit. We compare Kapton and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as dielectric coatings by measuring the minimal droplet actuation voltage for a range of actuation frequencies. The minimum actuation voltage of 5.6 V was required for droplet movement with the PMMA layer thickness of 0.2 μm and a hydrophobic layer of 0.17 μm. Significant issues with PMMA dielectric breakdown were observed at actuation voltages above 10 V. In comparison, devices that utilized Kapton were found to be more robust even at the actuation voltage up to 100 V.
Keywords
Digital microfluidics; PMMA; Kapton; Ag ink; Silver nanoparticles; Inkjet printed electrodes
Subject
Engineering, Automotive Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
