Surface-modified polyolefin microfluidic devices for liquid handling

Abstract

Polymer-based microfluidic devices offer an attractive platform for single-use disposable applications due to their low cost, ease of fabrication and good biocompatibility. In this work, we investigated liquid handling in surface modified polyolefin microfluidic devices. The modification of the surface was accomplished using ultraviolet light, and the contact angle was reduced from 88° to 45°. This type of treatment is easy to implement and could be beneficial for liquid handling in microchannel networks. Capillary-driven flow, contact angle hysteresis and pulsed pumping were demonstrated in these plastic devices. This surface treatment also facilitates rapid gel loading for separation since viscous sieving media can be injected solely by capillary force. Nucleic acid separation was demonstrated in the gel-loaded devices.