Advantages and disadvantages of commonly used materials for microphysiological devices
| Glass | Silicon | Thermoplastics | Thermosets | Elastomers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material properties | Knowledge base in biology | High | Medium | Medium | Medium | Good |
| Optical transparency | High | None | Medium-good | Medium-good | Good | |
| Gas permeability | Very low | Very low | Low | Low | Medium-high | |
| Mechanical robustness | High | Good | Good-high | Good-high | Low | |
| Tunable mechanical property | Low | Low | Medium | Medium-good | Low | |
| Chemical leachability | None | None | Low-medium | Low-medium | High | |
| Hydrophobic molecule sorption | Very low | Very low | Low-medium | Low-medium | High | |
| Cell attachment | Very high | High | Medium-high | Medium-high | Low-medium | |
| Manufacturing properties | Common fabrication methods | Photolithography | Photolithography, E-beam lithography | Injection molding | Soft lithography, reaction injection molding | Soft lithography |
| Ease of rapid prototyping | Very low | Low | Low | Medium-high | Medium-high | |
| Cost of prototyping (material and fabrication) | Very high | High | Medium | Low-medium | Low | |
| Industrial microstructuring capability | High | High | High | Medium-high | Low | |
| Scalability | Medium-high | Medium-high | High | Good | Low |