Malaysian scientists have created a flexible and environmentally friendly microfluidic device using a cloth decorating technique for printing wax onto cotton.

Dedy Wicaksono at the University of Technology Malaysia was inspired by his batik-patterned clothes to create the device. ‘Batik processing is wax patterning to create regions of differing hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity on cloth,’ says Dedy. The technique is traditionally used to prevent dye spreading from one area of cloth to another, creating coloured patterns. Using wax printing methods for paper and silk based microfluidic devices is known, but these have required specialist equipment or expensive materials.

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http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/November/17111102.asp