On the design and fabrication by two-photon polymerization of a readily assembled micro-valve

This paper reports on the conceptual design and fabrication of a complex shape, readily assembled micro check valve using the two-photon polymerization technique. The material used for the fabrication of the valve is a zirconium containing organic–inorganic hybrid photosensitive sol-gel known to exhibit negligible distortion during photopolymerization. A preliminary computational fluid dynamics study has been carried out in order to evaluate the flow performance of the valve under blood pressures exhibited in healthy human veins. The fabricated micro-valves exhibit good dimensional accuracy when compared to the CAD-created valve design and the capability of an internal moving component to perform its intended function.