Three-dimensional microfluidic devices fabricated in layered paper and tape

TLDR

Paper‑based 3D microfluidic devices enable capabilities difficult to achieve with conventional glass or polymer microsystems and are especially suitable for distributed healthcare, environmental monitoring, and water analysis. The study presents a method for fabricating 3D microfluidic devices by stacking patterned paper and adhesive tape, enabling simple, inexpensive analytical protocols without external pumps. The devices wick fluids and distribute microliter sample volumes from a single inlet into arrays of detection zones, and a prototype was demonstrated that tests four samples for up to four analytes with side‑by‑side result display. The prototype successfully tested four samples for up to four analytes and displayed results side‑by‑side for easy comparison.

Abstract

This article describes a method for fabricating 3D microfluidic devices by stacking layers of patterned paper and double-sided adhesive tape. Paper-based 3D microfluidic devices have capabilities in microfluidics that are difficult to achieve using conventional open-channel microsystems made from glass or polymers. In particular, 3D paper-based devices wick fluids and distribute microliter volumes of samples from single inlet points into arrays of detection zones (with numbers up to thousands). This capability makes it possible to carry out a range of new analytical protocols simply and inexpensively (all on a piece of paper) without external pumps. We demonstrate a prototype 3D device that tests 4 different samples for up to 4 different analytes and displays the results of the assays in a side-by-side configuration for easy comparison. Three-dimensional paper-based microfluidic devices are especially appropriate for use in distributed healthcare in the developing world and in environmental monitoring and water analysis.