Three-dimensional paper microfluidic devices assembled using the principles of origami

We report a method, based on the principles of origami (paper folding), for fabricating three-dimensional (3-D) paper microfluidic devices. The entire 3-D device is fabricated on a single sheet of flat paper in a single photolithographic step. It is assembled by simply folding the paper by hand. Following analysis, the device can be unfolded to reveal each layer. The applicability of the device to chemical analysis is demonstrated by colorimetric and fluorescence assays using multilayer microfluidic networks.