Microfabrication of Functional Gels and Application to Controlled Drug Releace Microchip

Recently, stimuli-responsive polymer gels attract attention as functional soft materials in the research fields of microfluidic systems. Several applications as a smart microvalve or micropump to switch the direction of flow automatically or extrude fluid are attempted (1, 2). Conventional microvalves made of hard and dry materials such as piezoelectric elements (3), shape-memory alloy (4), etc. are driven by electricity or heat generated from electric energy. In contrast, microvalve made of stimuli-responsive gel can respond to several stimuli other than electricity. And also, there are several advantages such as no heat release, high dust-proof, low power consumption, etc. Consequently, utilization of smart gels will contribute to simplification and miniaturization of device.