Laminate and production method therefor

Abstract

This laminate comprises: a first member, which is made of a silicone rubber; a second member, which is made of a polycarbonate; and a bonding layer which is formed from a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group and by which the first member is bonded to the second member.

Description

Laminate and manufacturing method thereof

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for joining a plurality of members.

[0002] Techniques for bonding multiple components made of different materials using a silane coupling agent have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for bonding a sheet made of silicone rubber to a sheet made of a resin material or a metal material using a single type of silane coupling agent.

[0003] JP 2014-62224 A

[0004] In the case of bonding a sheet made of silicone rubber to a sheet made of a resin material, it is important to simultaneously simplify the bonding process and improve the durability of the bond. In consideration of the above circumstances, one aspect of the present disclosure aims to improve the durability of the bond between a first member and a second member while simplifying the manufacturing process of a laminate.

[0005] A laminate according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a first member made of silicone rubber, a second member made of polycarbonate, and a bonding layer made of a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group, which bonds the first member and the second member together.

[0006] A method for manufacturing a laminate according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a coating step of applying a bonding material containing a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group to a first member formed of silicone rubber and a second member formed of polycarbonate, and a bonding step of bonding the first member and the second member with the bonding material.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the durability of the bond between the first member and the second member while simplifying the manufacturing process of the laminate.

[0008] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a laminate according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a process chart illustrating a manufacturing process of a laminate; 3 is a table showing the results of evaluating peeling between a first member and a second member;

[0009] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a laminate 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The laminate 100 of this embodiment is a well plate used for culturing various types of cells (more specifically, spheroids), for example, and includes a first member 10, a second member 20, and an adhesive layer 30.

[0010] The first member 10 is a thin plate-shaped molded body made of silicone rubber. That is, the first member 10 is formed primarily from silicone rubber. The silicone rubber is, for example, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The first member 10 has a first surface 11. A large number of minute recesses (not shown) are formed on the first surface 11. Each recess is, for example, a hemispherical depression with a diameter of about 1 mm.

[0011] The second member 20 is a thin plate-like molded body made of polycarbonate (PC). That is, the first member 10 is formed primarily from polycarbonate. As described above, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are formed from different types of resin materials. The external dimensions of the first member 10 and the second member 20 are substantially the same. The second member 20 has a second surface 21. The first surface 11 of the first member 10 and the second surface 21 of the second member 20 face each other.

[0012] A plurality of through holes 22 are formed in the second member 20. Each through hole 22 is a circular opening that penetrates the second member 20. The plurality of through holes 22 are arranged in a matrix. The diameter of the through holes 22 is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the recess in the first surface 11. Cells to be cultured are accommodated inside each through hole 22 in a space with the first surface 11 of the first member 10 as the bottom surface.

[0013] A bonding layer 30 is interposed between the first member 10 and the second member 20. The bonding layer 30 is formed of a bonding material for bonding the first surface 11 and the second surface 21. The bonding material used to form the bonding layer 30 is a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group as a functional group. For example, 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane is an example of a material for the bonding layer 30. Note that the bonding material 30 may also be formed of other silane coupling agents, such as 3-glycidyloxypropylmethyldiethoxysilane or 3-glycidoxypropylmethyldimethoxysilane.

[0014] In the above configuration, the silicone rubber (particularly polydimethylsiloxane) used as the material for the first member 10 has high oxygen permeability. Therefore, cells cultured in the laminate 100 can breathe in the same way as in a living body using oxygen that permeates through the first member 10. On the other hand, the polycarbonate used as the material for the second member 20 has high heat resistance compared to other resin materials, such as polystyrene. Therefore, the second member 20 is less likely to deform due to heating during the manufacturing process or usage environment of the laminate 100. As a result of ensuring the heat resistance of the second member 20 as described above, problems such as focus shift due to thermal deformation of the laminate 100 can be suppressed, for example, during the process of observing cells under a microscope. As described above, this embodiment can ensure both cellular respiration and suppress deformation of the laminate 100.

[0015] B: Manufacturing Method of Laminate 100 Fig. 2 is a process diagram illustrating a procedure for manufacturing the laminate 100. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the manufacturing process of the laminate 100 includes a preparation step S1, a surface treatment step S2, a coating step S3, and a bonding step S4.

[0016] The preparation step S1 is a step of preparing a bonding material to be used for forming the bonding layer 30. In the preparation step S1, a bonding material containing a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group is prepared.

[0017] Specifically, the bonding material is produced by mixing a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group with a solvent. The solvent is, for example, a mixed solution of ethanol and water in a mixing ratio of 9:1, or a mixed solution of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and water in a mixing ratio of 9:1. The type of solvent is not limited to the above examples. In the preparation step S1, the bonding material is prepared by mixing a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group with a solvent at a concentration of 1 wt % (weight percent) or more and 10 wt % or less.

[0018] After the preparation step S1, a surface treatment step S2 is performed. In the surface treatment step S2, the first surface 11 of the first member 10 and the second surface 21 of the second member 20 are activated by light irradiation. Specifically, the surface treatment step S2 is a step of irradiating the first surface 11 and the second surface 21 with excimer light (vacuum ultraviolet light: VUV).

[0019] For example, the first surface 11 is irradiated with excimer light for, for example, 15 seconds, and the second surface 21 is irradiated with excimer light for, for example, 30 seconds. As described above, the irradiation time of excimer light on the second surface 21 is longer than the irradiation time of excimer light on the first surface 11. However, the irradiation time of excimer light is not limited to the above example. Note that the surface treatment step S2 may be omitted.

[0020] After the surface treatment step S2 is performed, the application step S3 is performed. In the application step S3, the bonding material prepared in the preparation step S1 is applied to the first surface 11 of the first member 10 and the second surface 21 of the second member 20. The bonding material is applied using, for example, a brush, a spray, or a roller. The bonding material may also be applied to the first surface 11 and the second surface 21 by immersing the first member 10 and the second member 20 in liquid bonding material.

[0021] As can be understood from the above description, a common bonding material is applied to the first surface 11 of the first member 10 and the second surface 21 of the second member 20. That is, a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group is applied to both the first surface 11 and the second surface 21.

[0022] The bonding process S4 is performed after the application process S3 is performed. For example, the bonding process S4 is started at an interval of 5 minutes or more after the end of the application process S3. In the bonding process S4, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are bonded together with the bonding material applied in the application process S3. That is, the bonding material on the first surface 11 and the bonding material on the second surface 21 form a bonding layer 30 that bonds the first member 10 and the second member 20 together. The bonding process S4 includes a placement process S41 and a pressure-bonding process S42.

[0023] In the placement step S41, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are placed so that the bonding material on the first surface 11 and the bonding material on the second surface 21 come into contact with each other. In the placement step S41, excess solution is removed by blowing air onto the first surface 11 and the second surface 21. Also, in the placement step S41, air bubbles mixed in the bonding material are removed, thereby allowing the bonding material on the first surface 11 and the bonding material on the second surface 21 to be sufficiently adhered to each other without any gaps.

[0024] In the pressure-bonding step S42, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are bonded to each other by applying pressure to each other while heating the first member 10 and the second member 20. Specifically, the first member 10 and the second member 20 are heated to a predetermined temperature in the range of 80°C to 90°C, and the first member 10 and the second member 20 are pressed to each other with a pressure in the range of 0.002 MPa to 1.2 MPa, for example. The pressure application time is, for example, about 15 minutes. The pressure-bonding step S42 bonds the bonding material on the first surface 11 and the bonding material on the second surface 21, and the bonded bonding material hardens to form the bonding layer 30.

[0025] As described above, polycarbonate, which is used as the material of the second member 20, has high heat resistance. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the second member 20 is formed from a resin material such as polystyrene, deformation of the laminate 100 caused by heating in the pressure-bonding step S42 can be suppressed.

[0026] 3 shows the results of evaluating the strength of the bond between the first member 10 and the second member 20 for each of a plurality of samples in which the combinations of materials for the elements constituting the laminate 100 were different. In FIG. 3, the presence or absence of peeling between the first member 10 and the second member 20 is shown as the evaluation result of the bond strength. In each sample illustrated in FIG. 3, the manufacturing conditions and type of solvent were the same as those in the above-described embodiment.

[0027] "Glycidyl group" in FIG. 3 refers to a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group. Specifically, the "glycidyl group" is 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (product code: DOWSIL Z6040) manufactured by Dow Corporation. Also, "amino group" in FIG. 3 refers to a silane coupling agent having an amino group. Specifically, the "amino group" is 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (product code: A0439) manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (TCI).

[0028] Comparative Examples 1 and 2 are samples in which the first member 10 is formed of silicone rubber and the second member 20 is formed of polycarbonate (PC), similar to the present embodiment. In Comparative Example 1, a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group was applied to the first surface 11, and a silane coupling agent having an amino group was applied to the second surface 21. In Comparative Example 2, a silane coupling agent having an amino group was applied to both the first surface 11 and the second surface 21.

[0029] In Comparative Examples 1 and 2, peeling was observed between the first member 10 and the second member 20. In contrast to Comparative Examples 1 and 2, in the present embodiment, peeling did not occur between the first member 10 and the second member 20. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the durability of the bond between the first member 10 and the second member 20. By improving the strength of the bond by the bonding layer 30, the intrusion of moisture is suppressed, and as a result, the water resistance of the laminate 100 is also improved.

[0030] 3 is a sample in which the first member 10 is formed of silicone rubber and the second member 20 is formed of polystyrene (PS). In Comparative Example 3, a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group was applied to the first surface 11, and a silane coupling agent having an amino group was applied to the second surface 21.

[0031] In Comparative Example 3, no peeling between the first member 10 and the second member 20 was observed. Therefore, from the viewpoint of the effect of improving the durability of the bond between the first member 10 and the second member 20, this embodiment is equivalent to Comparative Example 3. On the other hand, while different types of bonding materials are used in Comparative Example 3, in this embodiment, one type of silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group is used to bond the first member 10 and the second member 20. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the manufacturing process (the process of bonding the first member 10 and the second member 20) can be simplified compared to Comparative Example 3. Specifically, according to this embodiment, it is not necessary to prepare two types of bonding materials in the preparation step S1.

[0032] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the durability of the bond between the first member 10 and the second member 20 while simplifying the manufacturing process of the laminate 100 .

[0033] In addition, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires corona discharge treatment, ultraviolet irradiation treatment, or plasma treatment both before and after application of the bonding material containing a silane coupling agent. In contrast to the technology of Patent Document 1, in the present embodiment, the first member 10 and the second member 20 can be firmly bonded by activating the first surface 11 and the second surface 21 with excimer light before application of the bonding material. In other words, activation of the first surface 11 and the second surface 21 after application of the bonding material is not necessary. Therefore, there is also the advantage that the manufacturing process of the laminate 100 is simplified compared to the technology of Patent Document 1.

[0034] C: Modifications Specific modifications that can be added to the above-mentioned embodiments are exemplified below. Two or more embodiments arbitrarily selected from the following examples may be combined as appropriate within the scope of not mutually contradicting each other.

[0035] (1) The order of irradiating the first member 10 with excimer light (S2) and applying the bonding material (S3) to the first member 10, and irradiating the second member 20 with excimer light (S2) and applying the bonding material (S3) to the second member 20 may be changed as desired. For example, the treatment of the first member 10 and the treatment of the second member 20 may be performed sequentially, or some or all of the treatment of the first member 10 and some or all of the treatment of the second member 20 may be performed in parallel with each other.

[0036] (2) In the above embodiment, a well plate used for cell culture is exemplified as the laminate 100, but the use of the laminate 100 is not limited to the above example. Furthermore, the shapes or dimensions of the first member 10 and the second member 20 may be changed as desired depending on the use of the laminate 100. For example, the aforementioned through-holes 22 are not essential.

[0037] (3) The terms "first" and "second" used in this application are used only as formal and convenient labels for distinguishing elements in the description and do not have any substantive meaning. Specifically, the terms "first" and "second" do not refer to the position or manufacturing order of each element. Therefore, there is no room for restrictive interpretation that a step followed by "first" precedes a step followed by "second."

[0038] D: Supplementary Notes From the above-described exemplary embodiments, the following configurations can be understood, for example.

[0039] A laminate according to one aspect (Aspect 1) of the present disclosure includes a first member made of silicone rubber, a second member made of polycarbonate, and a bonding layer formed of a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group, bonding the first member and the second member. For example, compared to a configuration in which the first member and the second member are bonded using a bonding material containing a silane coupling agent having an amino group, the durability of the bond between the first member and the second member can be improved. Furthermore, compared to a configuration in which different types of silane coupling agents are applied to the first member and the second member, the manufacturing process of the laminate can be simplified.

[0040] A method for manufacturing a laminate according to one aspect (Aspect 2) of the present disclosure includes a coating step of coating a first surface of a first member made of silicone rubber and a second surface of a second member made of polycarbonate with a bonding material containing a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group, and a bonding step of bonding the first surface of the first member to the second surface of the second member with the bonding material. According to this aspect, for the same reasons as in Aspect 1, the manufacturing process of the laminate can be simplified while improving the durability of the bond between the first member and the second member.

[0041] A specific example (Aspect 3) of Aspect 2 further includes a preparation step, which is a step before the application step, of preparing a bonding material containing a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group. Also, a specific example (Aspect 5) of Aspect 3 or Aspect 4 further includes a surface treatment step, which is a step between the preparation step and the application step, of activating the first surface and the second surface by light irradiation.

[0042] 100...Laminate, 10...First member, 11...First surface, 20...Second member, 21...Second surface, 22...Through hole, 30...Joint layer.

Claims

1. A laminate comprising: a first member made of silicone rubber; a second member made of polycarbonate; and a bonding layer made of a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group, bonding the first member and the second member together.

2. A method for manufacturing a laminate, comprising: a coating step of coating a bonding material containing a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group onto a first surface of a first member formed from silicone rubber and a second surface of a second member formed from polycarbonate; and a bonding step of bonding the first surface of the first member and the second surface of the second member with the bonding material.

3. The method for producing a laminate according to claim 2, further comprising a preparation step, prior to the application step, of preparing a bonding material containing a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group.

4. The method for manufacturing a laminate according to claim 3, wherein in the adjusting step, the bonding material is adjusted by mixing a silane coupling agent having a glycidyl group in a solvent at a concentration of 1 wt % or more and 10 wt % or less.

5. The method for producing a laminate according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a surface treatment step between the preparation step and the coating step, in which the first surface and the second surface are activated by light irradiation.

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