Abstract
Miniaturized total analysis systems are becoming a powerful tool for analytical and bioanalytical applications. Biological and chemical sensors for health and environment demand an adaptable technology [1]. A flexible and low-cost process using good quality material in terms of mechanical and thermal properties is necessary. Hybrid materials mixing organic and inorganic parts, offer the advantages of polymer-like materials and glasses. In this work, microfluidic sensor has been fabricated on a new hybrid organic-inorganic photosensitive material using an accurate and flexible fabrication process based on a pulsed UV laser lithography. The photosensitive material is based on, poly (amic acid) PAA polymer with lower molecular weight, 1,3,5-tris[2-vinyloxy)ethoxy]benzene TVEB as a crosslinking dissolution inhibitor, a VEPTES pre-hydrolysed as an organic-inorganic material, and a PAG as a photoacid generator. A fine positive pattern was fabricated in a 3 μm thick film with … mJ/cm2 of i-line exposure.This work presents the material synthesis, and the characterization of the mechanical and thermal properties. The nanoindentation technique was used to analyze the force required to indent the coating with a diamond tip. At low forces, this technique, based on indentation depth, predicts the hardness and the elastic modulus of the coating, to study the effect of the addition of the mineral part on the mechanical properties of the layer. On the other hand, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique was used to study the thermal properties of the new hybrid material as function of inorganic part. These results indicate that the newly prepared photosensitive hybrid materials may have potential applications for microfluidic devices.