Fabrication of micropatterns on channel sidewalls using strain-recovery property of a shape-memory polymer

In this work we have demonstrated a new approach to generate micropatterns on the sidewalls of polystyrene (PS) microchannels. The PS used is a thermal shape-memory polymer (SMP). The sidewall patterns were produced based on the strain-recovery phenomenon of a PS film, which results in the formation of high-aspect-ratio microstructures. Using this method, we have fabricated 50 × 50 μm² square dots and 100-μm-wide, 500-μm-wide straight lines and 150-μm-wide serpentine lines on the sidewalls of PS channels.