Irreversible, direct bonding of nanoporous polymer membranes to PDMS or glass microdevices

A method for integrating porous polymer membranes such as polycarbonate, polyethersulfone and polyethylene terephthalate to microfluidic devices is described. The use of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as a chemical crosslinking agent was extended to integrate membranes with PDMS and glass microfluidic channels. A strong, irreversible bond between the membranes and microfluidic structure was achieved. The bonding strength in the APTES treated devices was significantly greater than in devices fabricated using either a PDMS "glue" or two-part epoxy bonding method. Evaluation of a filtering microdevice and the pore structure via SEM indicates the APTES conjugation does not significantly alter the membrane transport function and pore morphology.