Blood Flow Visualization and Measurements in Microfluidic Devices Fabricated by a Micromilling Technique

Title:Blood Flow Visualization and Measurements in Microfluidic Devices Fabricated by a Micromilling Technique

Volume: 7 Issue: 3

Author(s): Jaron Singhal, Diana Pinho, Raquel Lopes, Patricia C. Sousa, Valdemar Garcia, Helmut Schütte, Rui Lima and Stefan Gassmann

Affiliation:

Keywords: Biomedical applications, blood cells, cell-free layer, cells separation, micromilling, microfluidic devices.

Abstract: The most common and used technique to produce microfluidic devices for biomedical applications is the soft-lithography. However, this is a high cost and time-consuming technique. Recently, manufacturers were able to produce milling tools smaller than 100 m and consequently have promoted the ability of the micromilling machines to fabricate microfluidic devices capable of performing cell separation. In this work, we show the ability of a micromilling machine to manufacture microchannels down to 30 µm and also the ability of a microfluidic device to perform partial separation of red blood cells from plasma. Flow visualization and measurements were performed by using a high-speed video microscopy system. Advantages and limitations of the micromilling fabrication process are also presented.

Cite this article as:

Singhal Jaron, Pinho Diana, Lopes Raquel, Sousa C. Patricia, Garcia Valdemar, Schütte Helmut, Lima Rui and Gassmann Stefan, Blood Flow Visualization and Measurements in Microfluidic Devices Fabricated by a Micromilling Technique, Micro and Nanosystems 2015; 7 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1876402908666160106000332