Strength and toughness of bonded joints in thermoplastic polymer microfluidic devices

Abstract

In the field of hot embossing of polymers for microfluidic, there is a lack of study into the relationships of bonding strength and bonding toughness with regard to the different bonding parameters.

This project aims to explore the relationship of bonding strength and toughness under different parameters, which are identified as bonding temperature, time and loading. The material that is used for the entire course of experiment is TOPAS® COC grade 8007. Although this thermoplastic copolymer is a relatively new polymer material, it is a low-cost alternative that has been gaining popularity due to its excellent physical and chemical properties. Injection molding process will be carried to produce the polymer substrates due to its fast production rate and high output accuracy.