Micro magnetic stir-bar mixer integrated with parylene microfluidic channels

Abstract

Previously, we reported a micro magnetic stir-bar mixer driven by an external rotating magnetic field and its rapid mixing performance in polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) channels. The PDMS piece with embedded fluid channels were manually aligned to a glass substrate and assembled. In this paper, we report the fabrication and testing results of a micro magnetic stir-bar monolithically integrated in parylene surface-micromachined channels with improved design features, including small tolerance of the stir-bar to channel wall (10 microm). Using of parylene based microchannels with improved design not only provides improved mixing, but also eliminates certain problems associated with PDMS-based channels. For example, porosity of PDMS causes evaporation and absorption of chemicals and thus channels made of PDMS are prone to cross-contamination. We have also demonstrated that the magnetic stir-bar can be used to pump liquid in micro channels.