Fabrication of conductive membrane in a polymeric electric field gradient focusing microdevice

A novel approach to integrating a buffer ion-permeable membrane in a poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) micro electric field gradient focusing (muEFGF) device is described. A weir structure on which the membrane was positioned was fabricated between the separation channel and field gradient-generating channel. Before formation of the membrane, the surface of the polymeric microdevice was treated for covalent bonding of the membrane. Following surface modification, a prepolymer solution containing poly(ethylene glycol) acrylate/methacrylate and Tris-HCl buffer was loaded into the microdevice. Low-pressure nitrogen gas was then purged through the separation and field gradient-generating channels to remove the prepolymer solution from these channels. Residual prepolymer solution was retained on the weir structure due to surface tension. Finally, the premembrane was cured in place on the weir using UV radiation. Using a muEFGF device, green fluorescent protein (GFP) was concentrated 4000-fold. Separation of GFP and R-phycoerythrin, and selective elution of GFP from a protein mixture containing GFP, FITC-labeled casein, and FITC-labeled hemoglobin were also demonstrated. It was found that the membrane conductivity and presence of carboxylic acid impurities in the membrane strongly affected the behavior of the muEFGF device.