Preparation of micro gold devices on poly(dimethylsiloxane) chips with region-selective electroless plating

A novel protocol for fabrication of micro gold devices on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrates was developed on the basis of region-selective electroless plating. The layout of a micro gold device was first photochemically patterned onto the PDMS surface through a UV induced poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) grafting process. The carboxylic moieties on the grafted PAA served as the scaffold for a series of wet chemical reactions that led to the immobilization of gold nanoparticles in the UV-exposed region, where electroless plating then occurred under the catalysis of the nanoparticles. Gold devices fabricated with such a protocol could tolerate the Scotch tape test and survive in a repeated bending-straightening test. They also showed good stability in acidic and alkaline solutions, possessed almost the same electrochemical properties as a standard gold disk electrode, and allowed thiol-compounds to form a perfect self-assembled monolayer on their surfaces. The fabricated micro gold electrode was demonstrated to be suitable as the integrated amperometric detection element in a full PDMS micro electrophoresis chip.