3D Printed Device Methodology for Combined Thermal and Fluorescence Analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article 3D Printed Device Methodology for Combined Thermal and Fluorescence Analysis Derek Sanchez, Robert Macdonald, Brendan Mitchell, Marshall Rawlins, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6994498/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Microfluidics and Nanofluidics → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Because temperature is one of the environmental factors that can influence chemical kinetics and fluid properties, there is a need for microfluidic devices that can control the temperature uniformity of the reaction zone to minimize errors in the analysis. A novel microfluidic device design leveraging the spatial freedom enabled through stereolithographic (SLA) 3D printing is presented. Building on advances in high resolution fabrication, a microfluidic device was created that can heat a sample volume of 5 μL between 30-90◦C with a spatial temperature variation of 0.3◦C or less. To achieve this level of spatial uniformity, the design incorporates removable support structures, channels for liquid metal loading to act as heating elements, and a hexagonal analysis chamber to provide thermal isolation from external connections and multi-axis heating. This device also features complete internal optical access for fluorescence-based measurements. Optimization of the temperatures within the device was performed using COMSOL multi-physics and validated against experimental measurements. The applicability and limitations of this device for DNA analysis are discussed. microfluidic 3D printing thermal optimization fluorescence Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files 3DPrintedDeviceforCombinedThermalandFluorescenceAnalysisMicrofluidicsandNanofluidics2.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Microfluidics and Nanofluidics → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 05 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 12 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jul, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 07 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 01 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 01 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 27 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6994498","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":482526559,"identity":"c7d3171c-f6aa-4fa0-8787-679b95c318ae","order_by":0,"name":"Derek Sanchez","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Brigham Young University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Derek","middleName":"","lastName":"Sanchez","suffix":""},{"id":482526560,"identity":"62b4050b-742f-4a7d-8bfb-b6d6fb73eb14","order_by":1,"name":"Robert Macdonald","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Brigham Young University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Robert","middleName":"","lastName":"Macdonald","suffix":""},{"id":482526561,"identity":"53e8db0c-e421-46c6-913b-eafca0f12e03","order_by":2,"name":"Brendan Mitchell","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Brigham Young University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Brendan","middleName":"","lastName":"Mitchell","suffix":""},{"id":482526562,"identity":"075c8a6e-ce08-4443-ac15-2b0535639f2f","order_by":3,"name":"Marshall Rawlins","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Brigham Young University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Marshall","middleName":"","lastName":"Rawlins","suffix":""},{"id":482526563,"identity":"e65a876d-425a-4365-b0e6-5cbcb5627759","order_by":4,"name":"Jansen Engelbrecht","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Brigham Young University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jansen","middleName":"","lastName":"Engelbrecht","suffix":""},{"id":482526564,"identity":"b18c98ce-7a23-490c-b97a-7ca329507a7d","order_by":5,"name":"Gregory P. Nordin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Brigham Young University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gregory","middleName":"P.","lastName":"Nordin","suffix":""},{"id":482526565,"identity":"8cd6480d-61e7-4276-8b2f-9fb64c585ec3","order_by":6,"name":"Adam T. Wooley","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Brigham Young University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Adam","middleName":"T.","lastName":"Wooley","suffix":""},{"id":482526566,"identity":"45bebdef-0333-4dbe-8581-88c67fdbc131","order_by":7,"name":"Troy Munro","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAvElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHAD5mMQ+gABdTwIJlsayVp4zIjTYi99+JgEY87hPPP2nm+PedsY5PhuJBCwhS8tTYJx2+FimTNntxsDtRhLEtTCw2MG0pI4QyJ3mzRQS+IGErTkPANpqSdJCxtIS4IBQS1n2JItErelJ87gOWZuOOechOHMMw/wa2HvYT544+M268QZ7M3PHrwps5HnO07AFiBgkYCpYeJhkCCoHASYP8BYjD+I0jAKRsEoGAUjDQAABa8+gHkZ5RoAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Brigham Young University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Troy","middleName":"","lastName":"Munro","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-27 21:53:08","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6994498/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6994498/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-025-02851-2","type":"published","date":"2025-11-03T15:57:28+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":95564778,"identity":"39ff107b-22ce-40c6-87d0-e0a473faef63","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-10 16:10:34","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":3707775,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"3DPrintedDeviceforCombinedThermalandFluorescenceAnalysisMicrofluidicsandNanofluidics.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6994498/v1_covered_f427af66-93a2-44f3-b9f8-83ccedacbe9c.pdf"},{"id":86297655,"identity":"a1f9170e-d7be-467b-85bb-4fa36b90ebdb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-09 05:45:17","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":1314433,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"3DPrintedDeviceforCombinedThermalandFluorescenceAnalysisMicrofluidicsandNanofluidics2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6994498/v1/b50b8ae1405a51e16e64dc01.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"3D Printed Device Methodology for Combined Thermal and Fluorescence Analysis","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"
[email protected]","identity":"microfluidics-and-nanofluidics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"mano","sideBox":"Learn more about [Microfluidics and Nanofluidics](http://link.springer.com/journal/10404)","snPcode":"10404","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10404/3","title":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"microfluidic, 3D printing, thermal optimization, fluorescence","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6994498/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6994498/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Because temperature is one of the environmental factors that can influence chemical kinetics and fluid properties, there is a need for microfluidic devices that can control the temperature uniformity of the reaction zone to minimize errors in the analysis. A novel microfluidic device design leveraging the spatial freedom enabled through stereolithographic (SLA) 3D printing is presented. Building on advances in high resolution fabrication, a microfluidic device was created that can heat a sample volume of 5 μL between 30-90◦C with a spatial temperature variation of 0.3◦C or less. To achieve this level of spatial uniformity, the design incorporates removable support structures, channels for liquid metal loading to act as heating elements, and a hexagonal analysis chamber to provide thermal isolation from external connections and multi-axis heating. This device also features complete internal optical access for fluorescence-based measurements. Optimization of the temperatures within the device was performed using COMSOL multi-physics and validated against experimental measurements. The applicability and limitations of this device for DNA analysis are discussed.","manuscriptTitle":"3D Printed Device Methodology for Combined Thermal and Fluorescence Analysis","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-09 05:45:12","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6994498/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-08-06T01:44:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-29T02:54:23+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"153892085179264102591116300416126433897","date":"2025-07-15T04:48:04+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-12T10:43:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"76474486954458625647544956150050805470","date":"2025-07-07T12:54:23+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"69367362991666202800040125009193435589","date":"2025-07-07T11:19:00+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-07T10:29:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-07-02T03:10:25+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-07-01T15:13:20+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","date":"2025-06-27T21:46:26+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"
[email protected]","identity":"microfluidics-and-nanofluidics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"mano","sideBox":"Learn more about [Microfluidics and Nanofluidics](http://link.springer.com/journal/10404)","snPcode":"10404","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10404/3","title":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d1724ad8-1b05-4bdb-b4db-05beb4188fb7","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 9th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-11-10T16:09:45+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6994498","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-025-02851-2","journal":{"identity":"microfluidics-and-nanofluidics","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics"},"publishedOn":"2025-11-03 15:57:28","publishedOnDateReadable":"November 3rd, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-09 05:45:12","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s10404-025-02851-2","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-025-02851-2","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6994498","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6994498","identity":"rs-6994498","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}
Text is read by the "Ask this paper" AI Q&A widget below.
Extraction quality varies by source — PMC NXML preserves structure
cleanly, OA-HTML may include some navigation residue, and OA-PDF can
have broken hyphenation. The publisher copy
(via DOI)
is the canonical version.