Department of Chemical Engineering CHIS, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium.
Mesoscale Chemical Systems, University of Twente, Enschede 7522 NB, The Netherlands.
Langmuir. 2022 Jun 28;38(25):7709-7719. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00593. Epub 2022 May 26.
The present contribution reports on a study aiming to find the most suitable rubbing method for filling arrays of separated and interconnected micromachined pockets with individual microspheres on rigid, uncoated silicon substrates without breaking the particles or damaging the substrate. The explored dry rubbing methods generally yielded unsatisfactory results, marked by very large percentages of empty pockets and misplaced particles. On the other hand, the combination of wet rubbing with a patterned rubbing tool provided excellent results (typically <1% of empty pockets and <5% of misplaced particles). The wet method also did not leave any damage marks on the silicon substrate or the particles. When the pockets were aligned in linear grooves, markedly the best results were obtained when the ridge pattern of the rubbing tool was moved under a 45° angle with respect to the direction of the grooves. The method was tested for both silica and polystyrene particles. The proposed assembly method can be used in the production of medical devices, antireflective coatings, and microfluidic devices with applications in chemical analysis and/or catalysis.
本研究旨在寻找最合适的摩擦方法，以便在刚性、未涂层的硅衬底上，将单个微球填充到分离且相互连接的微机械口袋阵列中，而不会损坏颗粒或衬底。探索的干法摩擦方法通常产生不理想的结果，标记为大量的空口袋和错位颗粒。另一方面，湿摩擦与图案化摩擦工具的组合提供了优异的结果（通常空口袋的比例小于 1%，错位颗粒的比例小于 5%）。湿方法也不会在硅衬底或颗粒上留下任何损坏痕迹。当口袋呈线性凹槽排列时，当摩擦工具的脊形图案相对于凹槽方向以 45°角移动时，获得的结果最好。该方法已针对二氧化硅和聚苯乙烯颗粒进行了测试。所提出的组装方法可用于医疗器械、抗反射涂层和微流控器件的生产，可应用于化学分析和/或催化。
