Fabrication of polyester microchannels and their applications to capillary electrophoresis

Inexpensive and disposable polyester microchips were fabricated through photolithographic and wet-chemical etching procedure, followed by replication using an imprinting method at room temperature. Laboratory-scale laser-induced fluorescence equipment was employed as a detection system. The generation of electroosmotic flow (EOF) on the polyester channels was discussed in this paper. Surfactants in the running buffer had a significant effect on the EOF depending on their types. The epsilon potential of the electric double layer formed by adsorbing sodium lauryl sulfate molecules on the wall of polyester channels seemed to be constant within the buffer pH investigated. EOF could also be suppressed to zero by adding polyoxyethylene 23 lauryl ether into the running buffer. The separation of two laser dyes was obtained using polyester chips through both micellar electrokinetic chromatography and capillary zone electrophoresis. The polyester channels modified with 10-undecen-1-ol exhibited a dramatically high-separation efficiency compared with the conventional fused-silica capillary tubes.