A simple paper-based sensor fabricated by selective wet etching of silanized filter paper using a paper mask

We developed a novel strategy for fabrication of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) by selective wet etching of hydrophobic filter paper using a paper mask having a specific design. The fabrication process consists of two steps. First, the hydrophilic filter paper was patterned hydrophobic by using trimethoxyoctadecylsilane (TMOS) solution as the patterning agent. Next, a paper mask penetrated with NaOH solution (containing 30% glycerol) was aligned onto the hydrophobic filter paper, allowing the etching of the silanized filter paper by the etching reagent. The masked region turned highly hydrophilic whereas the unmasked region remains highly hydrophobic. Thus, hydrophilic channels, reservoirs, and detection zones were generated and delimited by the hydrophobic barriers. The effects of some factors including TMOS concentration, etching temperature, etching time, and NaOH concentration on fabrication of μPAD were studied. Being free of any expensive equipment, metal mask and expensive reagents, this rapid, simple, and cost-effective method could be used to fabricate μPAD by untrained personnel with minimum cost. A flower-shaped μPAD fabricated by this presented method was applied to the glucose assay in artificial urine samples with good performance, indicating its feasibility as a quantitative analysis device. We believe that this method would be very attractive to the development of simple microfluidic devices for point-of-care applications in clinical diagnostics, food safety, and environmental protection.