Gabriel Poulson, Brigham Young University
Interest in microfluidic devices has grown significantly within the past decade. We believe that microfluidic devices may help with current in vitro fertilization techniques. In this work, we will compare devices constructed with multiple types of polymers to those constructed of a single type of polymer. Specifically, we show that devices made of multiple types of polymers provide better stability, better flexibility, and a simpler fabrication. The fabrication of these devices varies according to the material used, but all processes include polymer binding, exposure to heat, and pressure. Our results indicate that with the correct combination of heat, pressure, and polymers, we can create devices able to withstand the moderate pressures and flow rates of the operating device. While we now hope to use these devices to refine and improve in vitro fertilization, we believe that they can also be used in other microfluidic devices to, for example, improve cancer diagnosis and polymerase chain reaction.