Microfluidic Channels Fabrication Based on Underwater Superpolymphobic Microgrooves Produced by Femtosecond Laser Direct Writing

A strategy is proposed here to fabricate microfluidic channels based on underwater superpolymphobic microgrooves with nanoscale rough surface structure on glass surface produced by femtosecond (fs) laser processing. The fs laser-induced micro/nanostructure on glass surface can repel liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) underwater, with the contact angle (CA) of 155.5 ± 2.5° and CA hysteresis of 2.7 ± 1.5° to a liquid PDMS droplet. Such a phenomenon is defined as the underwater "superpolymphobicity". Microchannels as well as microfluidic systems are easily prepared and formed between the underwater superpolymphobic microgroove-textured glass substrate and the cured PDMS layer. Because the tracks of the laser scanning lines are programmable, arbitrary-shaped microchannels and complex microfluidic systems can be potentially designed and prepared through fs laser direct writing technology. The concept of "underwater superpolymphobicity" presented here offers us a new strategy for selectively avoiding the adhesion at the polymer/substrate interface and controlling the shape of cured polymers; none of these applications can find analogues in previously reported superwetting materials.