Double-sided 3D printing on paper towards mass production of three-dimensional paper-based microfluidic analytical devices (3D-μPADs)

Abstract

Recently, much effort has been focused on developing three-dimensional, paper-based microfluidic analytical devices (3D-μPADs) targeting in vitro diagnostics. However, 3D-μPAD fabrication typically requires tedious assembly that hinders mass production. Here, we report on a fabrication method for 3D-μPADs made of plastics without the need for additional assembly. Both sides of the paper were printed via liquid resin photopolymerization using a digital light processing (DLP) printer. The sample reservoir and detection zones are located on the top of the 3D-μPADs, and three microchannels are located on the bottom. The detection limits for glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were 0.3 mM, 0.2 mM, and 0.3 mM, respectively. The detectable ranges of glucose, cholesterol, and TG in human serum were 5–11 mM, 2.6–6.7 mM, and 1–2.3 mM. These results suggest that our fabrication method is suitable to mass produce 3D-μPADs with relative ease using simple fabrication processes.