Issue 25, 2014

Paper substrate modification for rapid capillary flow in microfluidic paper-based analytical devices

Abstract

The development of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices is the most promising emerging research globally, due to its main advantage of spontaneous liquid transport. Though many fabrication and detecting methods have been developed, there remain several challenges to overcome. In this paper, we present the findings of a simple and quick fabrication method that was developed by printing a modified poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) solution using an ink jet printer. The formed hydrophobic barrier was then analyzed using a confocal laser scanning microscope and a scanning electron microscope. To overcome the problem of liquid analyte evaporation during long-distance delivery and long-time analysis, experiments were conducted on various conventional parameters in papermaking processes. To examine the influence of internal channel width, fiber orientation, plasma-etching treatment, beating degree and calendering, volumetric flow rates of channels were measured using an automatic scanning absorptometer. Consequently, internal channel width had no effect on the flow rate, and channels aligned along the machine direction exhibited higher volumetric and longitudinal flow rates than they did in the cross direction. Plasma-etching treatment was found to increase the longitudinal flow rate, but the volumetric flow rate remained virtually the same. It was also found that higher beating degrees decreased the flow rates, likely caused by the decreased radius of pores between fibers. Finally, it was found that calendering affected the flow rates only marginally.

Graphical abstract: Paper substrate modification for rapid capillary flow in microfluidic paper-based analytical devices

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Jan 2014
Accepted
19 Feb 2014
First published
06 Mar 2014

RSC Adv., 2014,4, 12867-12872

Author version available

Paper substrate modification for rapid capillary flow in microfluidic paper-based analytical devices

Y. Xu and T. Enomae, RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 12867 DOI: 10.1039/C4RA00434E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements