| Abstract: | Methods for making a microfluidic device according to embodiments of the
present invention include defining.about.cavity. Polymer precursor
solution is positioned in the cavity, and exposed to light to begin the
polymerization process and define a microchannel. In some embodiments,
after the polymerization process is partially complete, a solvent rinse
is performed, or fresh polymer precursor introduced into the
microchannel. This may promote removal of unpolymerized material from the
microchannel and enable smaller feature sizes. The polymer precursor
solution may contain an iniferter. Polymerized features therefore may be
capped with the iniferter, which is photoactive. The iniferter may aid
later binding of a polyacrylamide gel to the microchannel surface. |