Modelling of the Electric Field Assisted Capillarity Effect used for the fabrication of hollow polymer microstructures

Abstract

Electric Field Assisted Capillarity (EFAC) is a novel process which has the potential for the single step fabrication of hollow polymer microstructures. The process has been shown to work experimentally on a microscale level using Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The process makes use of both the electrohydrodynamics of polymer at a microscale and the voltage enhanced capillary force exerted on the polymer. This paper discusses the results of a two-dimensional numerical simulation of this process. The results presented use a patterned master electrode producing encapsulated microchannels in the polymer. The simulations demonstrate how the differing contact angles between the polymer and the walls of the master electrode affect the thickness of the top surface of the formed microstructures. It also specifies the conditions necessary for the successful fabrication of such microstructures.