Comparison of the analytical performance of electrophoresis microchannels fabricated in PDMS, glass, and polyester-toner

This paper compares the analytical performance of microchannels fabricated in PDMS, glass, and polyester-toner for electrophoretic separations. Glass and PDMS chips were fabricated using well-established photolithographic and replica-molding procedures, respectively. PDMS channels were sealed against three different types of materials: native PDMS, plasma-oxidized PDMS, and glass. Polyester-toner chips were micromachined by a direct-printing process using an office laser printer. All microchannels were fabricated with similar dimensions according to the limitations of the direct-printing process (width/depth 150 mu m/12 mu m). LIF was employed for detection to rule out any losses in separation efficiency due to the detector configuration. Two fluorescent dyes, coumarin and fluorescein, were used as model analytes. Devices were evaluated for the following parameters related to electrophoretic separations: EOF, heat dissipation, injection reproducibility, separation efficiency, and adsorption to channel wall.

Coordenadoria de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES)[BEX0706/02-1]

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)[NS049229]

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[04/01525-0]

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico Tecnologico (CNPq)[478467/2006-0]