Hybrid ceramic polymers: new, nonbiofouling, and optically transparent materials for microfluidics

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Microfluidic devices are crucial for miniaturized separations.
• Developing novel materials for microfluidic chip fabrication is essential for enhanced performance.
• Surface properties of microchannels significantly impact biofluid analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Ormocomp, a hybrid ceramic polymer, for microfluidic separation chip fabrication.
• To evaluate Ormocomp's biocompatibility and surface properties for bioanalysis.
• To assess the separation performance of Ormocomp-based microfluidic chips.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of microfluidic chips using UV lithography and UV embossing.
• Characterization of electroosmotic flow and surface hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity.
• Biocompatibility assessment using microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) and fluorescence detection.
• Analysis of protein and amino acid interactions with Ormocomp surfaces.

Main Results:

• Ormocomp chips exhibited stable cathodic electroosmotic flow.
• The material demonstrated inherent resistance to biofouling on microchannel walls.
• High separation efficiencies were achieved for intact proteins (10^4 m^-1) and amino acids/peptides (10^6 m^-1).
• Nanomolar detection limits were achieved for fluorescent pharmaceuticals using near-UV excitation.

Conclusions:

• Ormocomp is a suitable material for fabricating high-performance microfluidic separation chips.
• The material's biofouling resistance allows for analysis of intact proteins without surface modification.
• Ormocomp microchips offer record-breaking separation performance and are compatible with fluorescence detection.