Polymer-based fluidic devices integrated with perforated micro- and nanopore membrane for study of ionic and DNA transport

Abstract

This study aims to develop a process, allowing a low-cost and high-throughput fabrication technique to produce freestanding polymer membranes having perforated micro- and nanopores, and also to design 3D micro/nanofluidic devices with the membrane, enabling a study of ions and DNA transport through nanopores. Technically, we have designed and fabricated high quality silicon stamp. Then, they have been used as molds for modified nanoimprint lithography that takes advantages of a sacrificial layer to obtain freestanding polymer membrane. This technique allows easy fabrication of large area, fully released polymer membranes containing perforated micro- and sub-micropores. The membrane with perforated micropores has been successfully integrated with microfluidic channels and used for in situ formation of lipid bilayer. The membrane with nanopores (\u3c 10 nm diameter) has been directly fabricated using modified nanoimprint lithography with silicon microneedle stamp. Also, the pore size was reduced further (down to 10 nm) with a subsequent process such as pore reduction by using polymer reflowing. Then, it was utilized for sensing and characterizing the ions and DNA transport through pores