Modelling partitioning and diffusion into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for microfluidic devices

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a polymer commonly used in microfluidic devices. While PDMS has many excellent properties, it tends to interact with hydrophobic compounds. Therefore, the nominal concentration of a chemical in an organ-on-chip device is not necessarily the actual concentration. To better estimate the actual concentration, we experimentally determine the parameters of a partition-diffusion model that describes chemicals’ interaction with PDMS. With this model, we can predict how these chemicals will behave in microfluidic devices and correct for concentration loss.