3D Printed Microfluidic Devices

3D printing has recently emerged as an intriguing method for producing microfluidic devices due to its simple operation and fast design-to-object workflow. Advances and growing interest in 3D printing technologies have improved affordability and accessibility of printers and printing materials, further accelerating the pace of innovation. 3D printing has been used to prepare molds for poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based microfluidics, scaffolds for microvasculature networks, and directly printed fluidic devices that have been incorporated into biosensing platforms and systems for cell studies. While many 3D printing techniques lack the resolution to prepare truly microscale features at present, the rapidly developing nature of the technologies and a groundswell of interest in their applications are poised to drive improvements necessary to make 3D printing a reliable and routine strategy for producing microfluidic devices. Here, technical aspects of 3D printing methods and applications of 3D-printed microfluidic devices in biosensing are summarized.