A novel and flexible processing for hot embossing of glass microfluidic channels

Hot embossing of glass microfluidic channels has great potential for applications in the field of medical diagnosis, biochemical analysis, and optical sensors. However, to fabricate the high-temperature resistance, ultrahard, and durable micro mold insert is a big challenge for the glass embossing techniques. . In this study, we proposed a new type of glass embossing techniques that a glass mold insert with high transition temperature (T-g) was manufactured in the supercooled liquid region and it was then used for the low-T-g glass embossing processing. To verify the flexibility and reliability of the embossing processing using the high-T-g glass mold insert, the detailed characterizations were conducted to study the morphology evolution and time-temperature-transformation for the high-T-g glass mold insert and low-T-g glass microfluidic channels. The experimental results showed that the high-T-g glass mold insert has a very fine surface quality and high flexibility. The high-T-g glass, which has remarkable high-temperature resistance and hot-forming ability, is proved to be a flexible and new ideal material as the hot embossing mold insert for low-T-g glass microfluidic channels. This work provides a new type of the hot embossing techniques for amorphous materials.