Biodegradable Microfluidic Device: Hydrolysis, Decomposition and Surface Modification

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable and biocompatible aliphatic polyester whose lactic acid monomers are derived from renewable resources such as corn and sugar beet. As a thermal plastic it can be processed through compounding and injection. As such, we have developed a microfludic device using PLA aimed at blood dialysis application. To quantify the degradation of PLA, its hydrolysis at different pH value was studied. To study the bioresorbable property of these fabricated devices, its decomposition was tested by morphology observation and weight change measurements after embedding in soil under simulated environmental conditions. Upon contact with a hydrophobic surface, platelets and prothrombin are always activated to attach to the surface, resulting in blood clot. This would block the blood flow through the dialysis channels in the microfluidic device. To improve the hydrophilicity, hence the blood compatibility, chemical grafting of a hydrophilic polymer, poly(ethylene oxide) methacrylate (PEGmA), onto the surface of PLA microfluidic device was carried out and the changes in hydrophilicity was monitored through measuring the water contact angle. Our results indicate that chemical grafting of PEGmA significantly improves the hydrophilicity of the device surface.