Irreversible, direct bonding of nanoporous polymer membranes to PDMS or glass microdevices

Abstract

A method for integrating porous polymer membranes such as polycarbonate, polyethersulfone and polyethylene terephthalate to microfluidic devices is described. The use of 3-amino-propyltriethoxysilane as a chemical crosslinking agent was extended to integrate membranes with PDMS and glass microfluidic channels. A strong, irreversible bond between the membranes and microfluidic structure was achieved. The bonding strength in the APTES treated devices was significantly greater than in devices fabricated using either a PDMS “glue” or two-part epoxy bonding method. Evaluation of a filtering microdevice and the pore structure via SEM indicates the APTES conjugation does not significantly alter the membrane transport function and pore morphology.

Immobilization of Antibodies and Enzymes on 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane-Functionalized Bioanalytical Platforms for Biosensors and Diagnostics

“…65 SnO 2 surfaces can also be activated and coated with silanes prepared in deionized water. 66 For a diblock copolymer functionalized surface, an M5 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES)-based buffer solution serves as the solvent with APTES simply drop-coated on the surface.…”

Clogging-Free Irreversible Bonding of Polycarbonate Membranes to Glass Microfluidic Devices

“…The bonding interface could successfully prevent leakage under at pressure of at least 500 kPa (maximum range of the air pressure controller), which is approximately two times higher than that of a PDMS-membrane bonding. 8 Results of the long-term leakage durability are shown in Fig. 6c.…”

“…[8][9][10] In one reported technique, porous polymer membranes were modified with APTES and were successfully bonded to oxygen plasma treated PDMS substrates. 8 Compared to organic polymer materials, fused silica glass is one of the most extensively used inorganic materials in microfluidics and nanofluidics due to its superior chemical stability, rigidity, optical transparency and its compatibility with well-established nanofabrication techniques.11 For the bonding of silicon or glass substrates, fusion bonding (∼1050• C), 12 or plasma activated bonding (200∼400is usually employed to obtain the permanent formation of covalent bonds between the two substrate surfaces. However, the bonding temperatures in the processes are much higher than the glass transition temperature (T g ) of the polymer membranes (<200 • C), leading to substantial damages to membranes and pores.…”

“…To solve this problem, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) has been used for direct bonding of polymer substrates. [8][9][10] In one reported technique, porous polymer membranes were modified with APTES and were successfully bonded to oxygen plasma treated PDMS substrates. 8 Compared to organic polymer materials, fused silica glass is one of the most extensively used inorganic materials in microfluidics and nanofluidics due to its superior chemical stability, rigidity, optical transparency and its compatibility with well-established nanofabrication techniques.…”

One step high quality poly(dimethylsiloxane)-hydrocarbon plastics bonding

“…Considering this, it is figured that bonding PDMS to hydrocarbon plastics is valuable. Many pioneer researchers have realized the potential value and have tried to achieve irreversible hybrid bonding by means of thin-adhesive layer, 5-7 chemical molecular level gluing, [8][9][10][11] or plasma treatment. 2 Detailed summarization of these techniques has been published in several papers.…”