Reducing the channel diameter of polydimethylsiloxane fluidic chips made by a 3D-printed sacrificial template and their application for flow-injection analysis

Fluidic chips have attracted considerable interest in recent years for their potential applications in analytical devices. Previously, we developed a method to fabricate polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fluidic chips via templates made using a low-priced commercial Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) type 3D printer and polymer coatings. However, in general, methods using a template cannot form a flow channel thinner than the template thickness and the width. In this study, the inner wall of a PDMS fluidic chip was coated with PDMS to create a chip with a channel inner diameter smaller than a template. Then, by measuring the flow signal of methyl orange with a single line, the basic properties of the non-coated and coated chip were investigated. As a result, almost the same flow profile was obtained in non-coated and coated chips at the same linear velocity and the same sample injection length. By coating and narrowing the channel width, it is possible to save the amount of sample and carrier solution. Measuring hydrazine in water using a coated chip was also tried. The calibration curve indicated good linearity in the range of 1–6 ppm. However, a concentration point of 7 ppm deviated. The reason for this deviation was presumably due to inadequate mixing of the sample and reagent. By decreasing the flow rate, the calibration curve indicated good linearity in the range of 1–7 ppm. Graphical abstract