Direct assembly of movable parts in a microchannel using a water-soluble sacrificial layer for biohybrid systems

Biohybrid systems have been investigated to perform tasks at the microscale because of high functionality of biological cells. To fully utilize the functions of cells, fabrication and assembly method of components in a microsystem should be developed. In this study, we developed a direct assembly method using dextran as a water-soluble sacrificial layer. A dextran film was patterned by lift-off method. We studied formation of dextran film with different shapes. SU-8 parts were fabricated on a patterned dextran film. A SU-8 part on a dextran film was directly assembled in a microfluidic chip. Injection of water dissolved the dextran and transported a movable part by a fluid force. Our future work includes integration of movable parts and cells for development of bio hybrid systems.