Direct Stereolithographic 3D Printing of Microfluidic Structures on Polymer Substrates for Printed Electronics

Both stereolithographic printing of microfluidics and inkjet printing of electronics are promising tools for the fabrication of lab‐on‐a‐chip devices. However, the combination of these two technologies has been a challenge so far, as the 3D‐printed components usually have to be bonded manually to the substrates functionalized with printed electronics. Here, a surface modification method is demonstrated for enabling the direct stereolithographic printing of microfluidic structures onto a variety of different substrates that are usually employed for printed electronics. The approach makes use of an acrylate‐terminated silane that covalently binds substrate and polymer network of the 3D print. The bonding strength is quantified and the compatibility of the concept with printed electrodes in a microfluidic channel is evaluated. A method for direct stereolithographic printing of microfluidics onto polymer substrates functionalized with printed electronics is demonstrated. The bonding strength is quantified for a variety of different substrates and the concept is evaluated with inkjet‐printed electrodes in a microfluidic channel. The method combines additive fabrication of microfluidics with printed electronics for rapid prototyping.