AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB025140125
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Early Access

Advancing modular microfluidics: Stereolithographic 3D printing of reconfigurable connectors for bioanalytical applications

 

Hong-Wei Zhang1,3 Clara Tamura2 Alireza Ahmadianyazdi3 Albert Folch3 Ting-Yuan Tu1,4*
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1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
3 Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
4 Medical Device Innovation Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
Received: 6 April 2025 | Accepted: 9 May 2025 | Published online: 9 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 3D-Printed Biomedical Devices)
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Traditional monolithic microfluidic devices are constrained by their inability to accommodate modifications to circuit elements, necessitating complete redesign and refabrication. To address these limitations, this study introduces modular microfluidic connectors fabricated via stereolithographic (SL) 3D printing. We designed and evaluated three distinct connector types––tessellated, sponge, and solid-walled––using tailored photoresins to enhance reusability, flexibility, and sealing performance. The tessellated connectors, printed with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA, Mw ~258) and incorporating an Octet Unit cell structure, reduced the rigidity of PEGDA prints, improving reusability under moderate conditions. The sponge connectors, fabricated from a PEGDA and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (2-HEA, Mw ~ 116) blend (2-HEA-co-PEGDA), exhibited greater flexibility; however, swelling in aqueous environments may limit their long-term utility. In contrast, the solid-walled connectors, produced with commercial Asiga Soft Resin, demonstrated superior reliability and adaptability, as validated in a reconfigurable concentration gradient generator (CGG) with scalable output capabilities. Cytocompatibility tests confirmed that PEGDA-printed devices, following isopropanol (IPA) and UV post-processing, are suitable for bioanalytical applications that do not require incubation. These findings establish SL 3D printing as a promising method for developing flexible, reconfigurable microfluidic platforms, with potential uses in material synthesis, chemical analysis, and point-of-care diagnostics. While challenges related to environmental durability persist, these advances lay the foundations for developing more robust and adaptable microfluidic systems with versatile applications.

Keywords
3D printing
Stereolithography
Modular microfluidics
Funding
This research was funded by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Taiwan (NSTC 112-2628-B-006-014-MY3, NSTC 113-2321-B-006-019-, NSTC 113-2314-B-006 -094 -MY3 and NSTC 113-2740-B-006-002- to T.Y.T.). This research was also supported in part by the Higher Education Sprout Project, Ministry of Education to the Headquarters of University Advancement at National Cheng Kung University. We are also grateful for the technical services provided by the Bioimaging Core Facility of the National Core Facility for Biopharmaceuticals, NSTC, Taiwan.
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing