In recent years, 3D integrated microfluidic systems have become increasingly more popular because of their ability to incorporate multifunctional components, including porous membranes and biological scaffolds. Because of limitations in resolution, fabrication efficiency and materials, it is hard to develop complex integrated microfluidic systems with low cost and high efficiency. In this paper, we present a novel method that utilizes modular structure-based design, which could greatly reduce the time and cost for customization of complete integrated chips, compared to traditional techniques. By printing sacrificial patterns on the substrate using the 3D printing approach and subsequently covering them with PDMS prepolymer, PDMS slices with modular structures were obtained, each with specific functions. By combining different PDMS slices with specific modular structures and other functional components, such as membranes and scaffolds, the conceptual design was efficiently converted into complete integrated microfluidic chips. As proof-of-concept, customized 3D microfluidic chips were generated and successfully used for cell culture and biological analysis. Furthermore, the flexible combination with biofabrication of hydrogel beads was also presented, revealing the potential use of this technique in the fabrication of organ-on-a-chip.

中文翻译：

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通过基于模块化结构的设计快速定制3D集成微流控芯片

近年来，3D集成微流控系统由于能够结合包括多孔膜和生物支架在内的多功能组件而变得越来越受欢迎。由于分辨率，制造效率和材料上的限制，难以开发低成本且高效率的复杂的集成微流体系统。在本文中，我们提出了一种利用基于模块化结构的设计的新颖方法，与传统技术相比，该方法可以大大减少定制完整集成芯片的时间和成本。通过使用3D打印方法在基板上打印牺牲图案，然后用PDMS预聚物覆盖它们，可以获得具有模块化结构的PDMS切片，每个切片具有特定功能。通过将不同的PDMS切片与特定的模块化结构和其他功能组件（例如膜和支架）相结合，可以将概念设计有效地转换为完整的集成微流控芯片。作为概念验证，生成了定制的3D微流控芯片，并将其成功用于细胞培养和生物学分析。此外，还提出了与水凝胶珠的生物制造的灵活组合，揭示了该技术在芯片上器官的制造中的潜在用途。