Next generation optofluidic fabrication for sub-100 micron particles

We present a novel fabrication method to create 3D-shaped microparticles using multiscale channels with on-the-fly pillars. Previously, we presented a scheme called optofluidic fabrication that utilized inertial flow shaping and UV polymerization to create millimeter-scale particles with 3D geometries [1, 2]. This approach, however, was limited since it could not easily create smaller particles at the micrometer-scale, and particle shapes could not be significantly changed without preparing new channel molds. Here, we introduce a channel fabrication method that creates custom pillars on-the-fly for inertial flow shaping and allows for creating 3D-shaped particles with overall sizes below 100 µm [3].