Novel, Gasketless, Interconnect Using Parallel Superhydrophobic Surfaces for Modular Microfluidic Systems

A novel, modular, microfluidic interconnect was developed using parallel superhydrophobic interfaces to facilitate the transport of fluids between component chips in modular microfluidic systems. A static analytical model, derived from the Laplace equation [1], approximates the maximum steady-state pressure of the liquid at the liquid bridge which forms across the gap between the chips. Preliminary experiments using parallel superhydrophobic surfaces on PMMA validated the concept. Additional experiments controlled the gap distance, measured contact angles of the superhydrophobic surfaces, gradually increased the pressure of the novel, gasketless, interconnect until rupture to find the maximum pressure across the liquid bridge and verify the model. The measured pressures were on the same order of magnitude (1–10 kPa) as estimated using the model for gap distances of 25 μm and 100 μm.