title: Polyethyleneimine coating renders polycarbonate resistant to organic solvents.
abstract: We propose a method for the modification of surfaces of microchannels in chips fabricated in polycarbonate (PC) that makes the devices resistant to a range of organic solvents. Coating of PC with branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) with the use of trimethylpropane triglycidyl ether (TTE) as a linker renders the devices resistant to toluene, benzene, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane and ethylene dichloride. The optimized procedure of modification allows for continuous operation of the chips for several hours without dissolution of PC. Additional modification with the use of Krytox® allows for the use of Fluorinert (FC-40) as the continuous phase and for generation and handling of droplets of organic solvents that are miscible with water.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jankowski
authors.forename: Dominika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ogończyk
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lisowski
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garstecki