9729405 Whitesides The research undertaken is composed of two parts: new materials and methods of fabrication will broaden the range of capabilities in MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) design, providing new capabilities and offering systems which are easier to manufacture and are more cost-effective, in comparison with traditional Si-based micromachining. This portion of the project focuses upon the demonstration of the value of new classes of materials (especially organic polymers) and on new methods of fabrication (especially microprinting, micromolding and related techniques). The second part of the effort will focus on the development of pumps, valves and fluidic couplers in polymeric materials to exploit their lack of mechanical rigidity, on the development of surface modification techniques to avoid clogging and surface contamination, and on techniques for rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems in plastics, glasses and silicon/silicon dioxide. ***
