Surface-reactive acrylic copolymer for fabrication of microfluidic devices

A surface-reactive acrylic polymer, poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) (PGMAMMA), was synthesized and evaluated for suitability as a substrate for fabrication of microfluidic devices for chemical analysis. This polymer has good thermal and optical properties and is mechanically robust for cutting and hot embossing. A key advantage of this polymeric material is that the surface can be easily modified to control inertness and electroosmotic flow using a variety of chemical procedures. In this work, the procedures for aminolysis, photografting of linear polyacrylamide, and atom-transfer radical polymerization on microchannel surfaces in PGMAMMA substrates were developed, and the performance of resultant microfluidic electrophoresis devices was demonstrated for the separation of amino acids, peptides, and proteins. Separation efficiencies as high as 4.6 x 10(4) plates for a 3.5-cm-long separation channel were obtained. The results indicate that PGMAMMA is an excellent substrate for microfabricated fluidic devices, and a broad range of applications should be possible.