Low-cost fabrication of microelectrodes using cutting plotter: application to pollen sensor

Abstract A cutting plotter, a widely used office device, enables users to prepare plastic sheets in arbitrary shapes that have been designed using a computer. Cutting plotters are applied for fabricating microfluidic systems made of thin plastic sheets. For this study, commercially available aluminum tape with an adhesive layer was tested to create a microchannel with electrodes. After optimizing cutting conditions and evaluating accuracy under an optical microscope, the electrodes were used to assemble a pollen sensor. After the electrodes were placed on a solid substrate, nematic liquid crystal 4-cyano-4’-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) was injected between them. The device detected several pollen particles inserted into 5CB through the impedance measurement.