A microfluidic method to measure bulging heights for bulge testing of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyurethane (PU) elastomeric membranes.

ABSTRACT: Thin and flexible elastomeric membranes are frequently used in many microfluidic applications including microfluidic valves and organs-on-a-chip. The elastic properties of these membranes play an important role in the design of such microfluidic devices. Bulge testing, which is a common method to characterize the elastic behavior of these membranes, involves direct observation of the changes in the bulge height in response to a range of applied pressures. Here, we report a microfluidic approach to measure the bulging height of elastic membranes to replace direct observation of the bulge height under a microscope. Bulging height is measured by tracking the displacement of a fluid inside a microfluidic channel, where the fluid in the channel was designed to be directly in contact with the el

SUBMITTER: Huang JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9080891 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature