Electrifying-electrodes Assisted Thermal Bonding Method And Fabrication Of Multi-metal Microelectrodes Integrated On The Single Substrate

Fracture of integrated metal microelectrodes likely happens during the thermal bonding process of polymer microfluidic chips. To solve this fracture problem, an electrifying-electrodes assisted thermal bonding method is put forward. The electrode is electrified during the thermal bonding process, which heats the electrode quickly. The heating process improves the ductibility of the electrode, which obviates the fracture of the electrode. The relationship between the current and the temperatures of the electrode and its surrounding polymers is computed and simulated. The new bonding process is optimized by experiments, and an optimal current is achieved. In order to demonstrate this bonding method, a PMMA [poly (methylmethacrylate)] microfluidic chip integrated with Cu electrochemical detectors is fabricated by using this method.In order to fulfill different functions, multi-metal microelectrodes are often needed to be integrated on one microfluidic chip. A new method is investigated to integrate noble metals and base metals on the single polymer substrate. A new process is first put forward to fabricate Pt microelectrodes on polymer substrates. The fabricating compatibility between the Pt and other base-metal microelectrodes is studied. A PMMA plate integrated Pt and Cu microelectrodes is designed and fabricated.