A Novel Technique for Fabricating Plastic Lab-on-a-Chip Devices with an Immobilized Enzyme

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Date

2008-04

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American Chemical Society - Biomacromolecules

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Abstract

In this study we design new fabrication techniques and demonstrate the potential of using dense CO2 (i.e. high pressure carbon dioxide that possess a liquid-like density) for facilitating crucial steps in the fabrication of plastic lab-on-a-chip (LOC) micro-devices by embedding bio-molecules at temperatures well below the plastic’s glass transition temperature (Tg). The polymer polystyrene (PS) is the plastic that was used in this study and has a Tg of ~105oC. The Tg is the temperature at which the plastic becomes rubbery and deformable, below this temperature it is glassy and acts as a brittle solid. These new techniques are environmentally friendly and done without the use of a clean room. Carbon dioxide at 40oC and between 4.48 and 6.89 MPa was used to immobilize the biologically active molecule, beta-galactosidase (beta-gal), on the surface of PS micro-channels. To our knowledge, this is the first time dense CO2 has been used to directly immobilize an enzyme in a micro-channel. Beta-gal activity was maintained, and shown via a fluorescent reaction product, after enzyme immobilization and micro-channel capping by the designed fabrication steps at 40oC and pressures up to 6.89 MPa.

Description

Engineering: 3rd Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)

Keywords

immobilization, lab on a chip, beta galactosidase, polystyrene, bonding

Citation

Biomacromolecules 2008, 9, 1027–1034