title: In situ fabrication of a temperature- and ethanol-responsive smart membrane in a microchip.
abstract: Here we report a simple and versatile strategy for the in situ fabrication of nanogel-containing smart membranes in microchannels of microchips. The fabrication approach is demonstrated by the in situ formation of a chitosan membrane containing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) nanogels in a microchannel of a microchip. The PNIPAM nanogels, that allow temperature- and ethanol-responsive swelling-shrinking volume transitions, serve as smart nanovalves for controlling the diffusional permeability of solutes across the membrane. Such self-regulation of the membrane permeability is investigated by using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) as a tracer molecule. This approach provides a promising strategy for the in situ fabrication of versatile nanogel-containing smart membranes within microchips via simply changing the functional nanogels for developing micro-scale detectors, sensors, separators and controlled release systems.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China. wangwei512@scu.edu.cn chuly@scu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yi-Meng
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yun-Yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Nan-Nan
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Zhuang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-Jie
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Liang-Yin
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010539:Permeability
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; C052970:poly-N-isopropylacrylamide; D000431:Ethanol