University System of Maryland

Chia-Wen Tsao

Donald Lad DeVoe

The present invention relates to a method for bonding two surfaces to one another. The invention particularly pertains to the use of such method in which one of the surfaces is a polymeric plastic (and more preferably a polymeric thermoplastic (especially poly-(methyl methacrylate) ('PMMA') or cyclic olefin copolymer ('COC')). More particularly, the invention relates to treating at least one of the contacting surfaces with UV in the presence of oxygen to thereby generate ozone (O) and atomic oxygen under conditions of temperature below that of the glass transition temperature of the polymeric plastic. The UV/O-mediated bonding results in high bond strength and zero-deformation method. This bonding method can be applied to micro/nano-scale polymer devices, and particularly to microfluidic devices, for a low cost, high throughput, high yield advantage.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MD, United States of America

Chia-Wen Tsao