Method for linking two plastic work pieces without using foreign matter

A hot-melt adhesion method for bonding two plastic work pieces, each work piece having an intended contact surface by which the two work pieces bond, the method comprising the steps of:

• subjecting at least some sections of the intended contact surface of at least one of the work pieces to a high-energy radiation that causes the lowering of a glass transition temperature of such work piece in a marginal layer to produce a modified marginal layer;
• contacting the intended contact surfaces of the two work pieces;
• and
• heating at least the modified marginal layer to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the modified marginal layer but below that of the unmodified areas of the respective work piece so that a bond is formed between the two work pieces.

A hot-melt adhesion method for bonding two plastic work pieces, each work piece having an intended contact surface by which the two work pieces bond and wherein one work piece is comprised of microstructure or nanostructure recesses in the contact surface and the other work piece includes electrodes on its contact surface, the method comprising the steps of:

• subjecting at least some sections of the intended contact surface of at least one of the work pieces to a high-energy radiation that causes the lowering of a glass transition temperature of such work piece in a marginal layer to produce a modified marginal layer;
• contacting the intended contact surfaces of the two work pieces;
• and
• heating at least the modified marginal layer to a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the modified marginal layer but below that of the unmodified areas of the respective work piece while the two work pieces are under pressure in relation to each other so that a bond is formed between the two work pieces.

An article for microfluidics applications comprising:

• a first and a second plastic work piece, each having a contact surface by which the two work pieces are hot-melt adhesion bonded together;
• wherein
• microstructure or nanostructure recesses are provided in the contact surface of the first work piece;
• and
• a modified marginal layer is produced by high-energy radiation in at least a section of at least one of the contact surfaces, such that the modified marginal layer is characterized by a glass transition temperature lower than that of unmodified areas of the respective work piece.