Whole-Teflon Lab on a Film

This study presents a convenient and cost-effective technology for fabricating flexible thin-film, integrative whole-Teflon microflu-idic chips. By employing micro embossing techniques, we created micropatterns on a thin FEP film (~50 µm), which were then sealed with another flat FEP thin film (~200 µm) to form microchannels. This approach enables rapid prototyping of lab-on-a-film FEP microchips using minimal equipment and at a low cost. Our microfluidic chip stands out due to two key factors: one is inherit-ed from the Teflon material, and the other is that the entire microchip is a very thin film. The combination of these factors provides distinct advantages, including exceptional chemical resistance, high transparency and flexibility, and efficient heat transfer. We developed an adhesive-free, tight-fit, and solvent-resistant interconnector to interface the FEP thin-film microdevices with the mac-roscopic world for stable fluid delivery. Microvalves are integrated into our Teflon microfluidic film chips, which are easy to oper-ate for fluid manipulation. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated the versatility and enhanced performance of our transparent FEP microfluidic film chips through an on-chip photochemical reaction. These FEP microfluidic film chips offer powerful and diverse features that expand the capabilities of microfluidics, making them an attractive option for a wide range of applications such as biosensing, portable detection, wearable electronics, and organic reactions.