Microchip dialysis of proteins using in situ photopatterned nanoporous polymer membranes

Chip-level integration of microdialysis membranes is described using a novel method for in situ photopatterning of porous polymer features. Rapid and inexpensive fabrication of nanoporous microdialysis membranes in microchips is achieved using a phase separation polymerization technique with a shaped UV laser beam. By controlling the phase separation process, the molecular weight cutoffs of the membranes can be engineered for different applications. Counterflow dialysis is used to demonstrate extraction of low molecular weight analytes from a sample stream, using two different molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) membranes; the first one with MWCO below 5700 for desalting protein samples, and the second one with a higher MWCO for size-based fractionation of proteins. Modeling based on a simple control volume analysis on the microdialysis system is consistent with measured concentration profiles, indicating both that membrane properties are uniform, well-defined, and reproducible and that diffusion of subcutoff analytes through the membrane is rapid.