Polydimethyl siloxane wet etching for three dimensional fabrication of microneedle array and high-aspect-ratio micropillars

Among various transdermal drug delivery (TDD) approaches, utilizing the microneedles (MNs) not only can penetrate the skin but also deliver the drug with reduced tissue damage, reduced pain, and no bleeding. However, the MNs with larger height are required to overcome the skin barrier for effective TDD. Unlike 2D patterning, etching polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) micropillars for fabrication of 3D microstructures is presented. The PDMS micropillars were first constructed by casting PDMS on the computer numerical control-machined cylindrical microwells, which then went through etching process to obtain the MNs for subsequent fabrication of polymer MNs or high aspect ratio micropillars.