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Assessing Surface Adsorption in Cyclic Olefin Copolymer Microfluidic Devices Using Two-Dimensional Nano Liquid
Cecilia C Douma1, Michael T Bowser1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States.
Analytical Chemistry
|December 7, 2023
Summary
Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) micro free-flow electrophoresis (μFFE) devices show minimal analyte adsorption, outperforming traditional glass devices. This makes COC μFFE practical for sensitive, time-resolved microscale separations.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Surface adsorption in microscale separations hinders speed, sensitivity, and resolution.
- Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) is a promising material for microfluidic devices, but its surface adsorption characteristics in micro free-flow electrophoresis (μFFE) are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To functionally characterize the surface adsorption of hot-embossed COC μFFE devices.
- To evaluate the suitability of COC μFFE for time-resolved measurements by assessing analyte peak broadening.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two-dimensional nano-liquid chromatography × μFFE (nLC × μFFE) separations.
- Introduced 3- to 5-second analyte plugs and measured temporal peak broadening.
- Tested small molecule dyes (rhodamine 123, fluorescein, rhodamine 110) and proteins (myoglobin, cytochrome c).
Main Results:
- Minimal adsorption observed for small molecule dyes, with temporal peak widths of 3–7 seconds.
- Moderate adsorption observed for labeled myoglobin and cytochrome c, with peak widths around 20 seconds.
- COC μFFE devices exhibited significantly lower adsorption compared to traditional glass devices (peak widths in minutes).
Conclusions:
- COC μFFE devices demonstrate low surface adsorption, making them suitable for microscale separations.
- COC offers advantages in durability, performance, and fabrication for time-resolved continuous detection applications.
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