Rapid fabrication of 3-D branched microvascular flow networks
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abstract
We describe a new process that enables 3D branched microvascular networks to be constructed plastic substrates in a single step. This technique harnesses electrostatic discharge phenomena that occur when a dielectric medium is energized by a strong electric field and subsequently discharged to form branched "tree-like" channels. Suitable space charge distributions are generated by irradiating the sample with an electron beam so that the energy released upon discharge is capable of locally vaporizing and fracturing the material, leaving behind a network of branched channels in a tree-like fractal structure. The beam intensity and spatial irradiation profile can be adjusted to control the location and morphology of the discharge structures and to vary interconnectivity within the network.