Fabrication of Microfluidic Devices for Emulsion Formation by Microstereolithography

Recent patent-based review on the role of three-dimensional printing technology in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications

Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is emerging as an innovative manufacturing technology for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, since the US FDA approval of Spritam as a 3D-printed drug. In the present review, we have highlighted the potential benefits of 3DP technology in healthcare, such as the ability to create patient-specific medical devices and implants, as well as the possibility of on-demand production of drugs and personalized dosage forms. We have further discussed future research to optimize 3DP processes and materials for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Cohesively, we have put forward the current state of active patents and applications related to 3DP technology in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries including hearing aids, prostheses, medical devices and drug-delivery systems.

Recent Advances in Multi-Material 3D Printing of Functional Ceramic Devices

In recent years, functional ceramic devices have become smaller, thinner, more refined, and highly integrated, which makes it difficult to realize their rapid prototyping and low-cost manufacturing using traditional processing. As an emerging technology, multi-material 3D printing offers increased complexity and greater freedom in the design of functional ceramic devices because of its unique ability to directly construct arbitrary 3D parts that incorporate multiple material constituents without an intricate process or expensive tools. Here, the latest advances in multi-material 3D printing methods are reviewed, providing a comprehensive study on 3D-printable functional ceramic materials and processes for various functional ceramic devices, including capacitors, multilayer substrates, and microstrip antennas. Furthermore, the key challenges and prospects of multi-material 3D-printed functional ceramic devices are identified, and future directions are discussed.

Microfluidics-enabled functional 3D printing

Microfluidic technology has established itself as a powerful tool to enable highly precise spatiotemporal control over fluid streams for mixing, separations, biochemical reactions, and material synthesis. 3D printing technologies such as extrusion-based printing, inkjet, and stereolithography share similar length scales and fundamentals of fluid handling with microfluidics. The advanced fluidic manipulation capabilities afforded by microfluidics can thus be potentially leveraged to enhance the performance of existing 3D printing technologies or even develop new approaches to additive manufacturing. This review discusses recent developments in integrating microfluidic elements with several well-established 3D printing technologies, highlighting the trend of using microfluidic approaches to achieve functional and multimaterial 3D printing as well as to identify potential future research directions in this emergent area.

Composite Elastomer-Enabled Rapid Photofabrication of Microfluidic Devices

Microfluidics, as an emerging technology, is highly dependent on the evolution of device materials and fabrication techniques. While replica molding of polydimethylsiloxane and hot embossing/injection molding of thermoplastics are most popular, they are either hard to scale up or inappropriate for laboratory-scale prototyping. Recently, photocurable resins, as a huge class of materials, have attracted extensive interest. However, very few of them can now be used in device fabrication due to the challenge in machining these materials. In response, we herein propose a novel concept of composite elastomers, which can covalently link with and consequently offer a flexible support to photocured thin films. This effect would allow most photocurable resins to be used in microfluidic device fabrication, greatly enriching the material choices for diverse applications. Moreover, the whole fabrication process becomes very simple and rapid, with an impressive throughput of at least hundreds of replicas per day. With these features, it is reasonably expected that the composite elastomer-enabled rapid photofabrication method will be very competent for laboratory prototyping, providing not only the ease of fabrication but also a possibility to select the materials specifically for ultimate applications and promising potential for volume production without the redevelopment process. These may offer a good opportunity to narrow the current gap between academic research and industrial practice.