Advanced Fabrication Protocol of an Elastic Porous Membrane for Organ-on-a-chip Applications

Abstract

Elastic porous membranes are essential components of mechanically active organ-on-a-chip and microphysiological system (MPS) platforms, where cyclic strain is required to recapitulate physiologically relevant tissue mechanics. However, existing fabrication methods are often difficult to reproduce, low throughput, or dependent on specialized infrastructure, limiting their adoption across laboratories. Many protocols also lack quality control steps for ensuring device assembling and reproducibility. In this paper, we present a robust and accessible fabrication and quality control workflow for the consistent production of elastic porous PDMS membranes. The method uses commercially available heat presses, release liners, and pre-patterned membrane wafers to enable rapid membrane molding. We describe a quality control framework, including visual verification of porous regions and wettability testing for surface activation, to ensure irreversible PDMS bonding and reliable device assembly. Together, this workflow improves fabrication yield, reduces device failure, and supports reproducible implementation of elastic porous membrane in organ-on-a-chip applications.