Study of the temperature field in microchannels of a PDMS chip with embedded local heater using temperature-dependent fluorescent dye

This paper presents a simple microheater design for microfluidic devices by embedding resistance wire into a PDMS chip, and the results of an experimental study of the thermal response of liquid samples in the PDMS chip with the embedded local heater. Temperature-dependent fluorescent dye was used to measure the temperature distribution within a microchannel heated by the local heater. Two heater configurations were built, tested, and compared with numerical simulation. Through comparing the performance of these two configurations, heating and cooling rates and the characteristics of the temperature field were evaluated. Additionally, thermal cycling at two different temperature levels was achieved by controlling the power of the local heater.