Ultra-thin Microfluidic Devices Built via Thermal Lamination

Widespread adoption of lab-on-a-chip technologies may be encouraged by the development of methods and devices that require minimal investment and expertise. Here we describe a type of device that makes exclusive use of consumer-grade components and equipment. The devices consist of as little as three layers of a polymer film, with microchannels shaped by an inexpensive craft cutter, and sealed by thermal lamination. Fabrication time is in the order of minutes, and the method does not require any prior training. To showcase the properties and demonstrate the versatility of the devices, we describe their use to generate fully biocompatible lipid-based nanoparticles, and present an example of a multi-layered device. Our approach lowers the barrier-to-entry for reliable microfluidic devices that are flexible and ten to thirty-times thinner than the common PDMS/glass alternative