title: Ex Situ Integration of Multifunctional Porous Polymer Monoliths into Thermoplastic Microfluidic Chips.
abstract: A unique method for incorporating functional porous polymer monolith elements into thermoplastic microfluidic chips is described. Monolith elements are formed in a microfabricated mold, rather than within the microchannels, and chemically functionalized off chip before insertion into solvent-softened thermoplastic microchannels during chip assembly. Because monoliths may be trimmed prior to final placement, control of their size, shape, and uniformity is greatly improved overin-situphotopolymerization methods. A characteristic trapezoidal profile facilitates rapid insertion and enables complete mechanical anchoring of the monolith periphery, eliminating the need for chemical attachment to the microchannel walls. Off-chip processing allows the parallel preparation of monoliths of differing compositions and surface chemistries in large batches. Multifunctional flow-through arrays of multiple monolith elements are demonstrated using this approach through the creation of a fluorescent immunosensor with integrated controls, and a microfluidic bubble separator comprising a combination of integrated hydrophobic and hydrophilic monolith elements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Eric L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wienhold
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Omid D
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Rahmanian
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA ; Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Don L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: DeVoe
keywords: Biosensor; Immunosensor; Microfluidics; Polymer Monolith; Thermoplastic