241-6009-53235 y Both the authors contributed equally to this work.Two types of microvalves based on temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and pH-responsive poly(sodium acrylate) (PSA) hydrogel films have been developed and tested. The PNIPAAm and PSA hydrogel films were prepared by means of in situ photopolymerization directly inside the fluidic channel of a microfluidic chip fabricated by combining Si and SU-8 technologies. The swelling/shrinking properties and height changes of the PNIPAAm and PSA films inside the fluidic channel were studied at temperatures of deionized water from 14 to 36 8C and different pH values (pH 3-12) of Titrisol buffer, respectively. Additionally, in separate experiments, the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the PNIPAAm hydrogel was investigated by means of a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) method. Mass-flow measurements have shown the feasibility of the prepared hydrogel films to work as an on-chip integrated temperature-or pH-responsive microvalve capable to switch the flow channel on/off.
In vitro studies of the degradation kinetic of biopolymers are essential for the design and optimization of implantable biomedical devices. In the presented work, a field-effect capacitive sensor has been applied for the real-time and in situ monitoring of degradation processes of biopolymers for the first time. The polymer-covered field-effect sensor is, in principle, capable to detect any changes in bulk, surface and interface properties of the polymer induced by degradation processes. The feasibility of this approach has been experimentally proven by using the commercially available biomedical polymer poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PDLLA) as a model system. PDLLA films of different thicknesses were deposited on the Ta 2 O 5gate surface of the field-effect structure from a polymer solution by means of spin-coating method. The polymer-modified field-effect sensors have been characterized by means of capacitance-voltage and impedance-spectroscopy method. The degradation of the PDLLA was accelerated by changing the degradation medium from neutral (pH 7.2) to alkaline (pH 9) condition, resulting in drastic changes in the capacitance and impedance spectra of the polymer-modified field-effect sensor.
a b s t r a c tFor the development of new biopolymers and implantable biomedical devices with predicted biodegradability, simple, non-destructive, fast and inexpensive techniques capable for real-time in situ testing of the degradation kinetics of polymers are highly appreciated. In this work, a capacitive field-effect electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) sensor has been applied for real-time in situ monitoring of degradation of thin poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PDLLA) films over a long-time period of one month. Generally, the polymer-modified EIS (PMEIS) sensor is capable of detecting any changes in the bulk, surface and interface properties of the polymer (e.g., thickness, coverage, dielectric constant, surface potential) induced by degradation processes. The time-dependent capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of PMEIS structures were used as an indicator of the polymer degradation. To accelerate the PDLLA degradation, experiments were performed in alkaline buffer solution of pH 10.6. The results of these degradation measurements with the EIS sensor were verified by the detection of lactic acid (product of the PDLLA degradation) in the degradation medium. In addition, the micro-structural and morphological changes of the polymer surface induced by the polymer degradation have been systematically studied by means of scanning-electron microscopy, atomic-force microscopy, optical microscopy, and contact-angle measurements.
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