Characterization of microchip electrophoresis devices fabricated by direct‐printing process with colored toner

Abstract

This paper reports for the first time the use of colored toner to produce polyester toner (PT) ME devices. Colored PT devices were designed in drawing software and printed on a polyester film using a color laser printer with 3600 dpi resolution. The colored toner is composed of a copolymer mixture (styrene and acrylate), wax, silicon dioxide, and pigments. The presence of silica in the toner composition has enhanced the EOF magnitude and improved the analytical performance. For a pH range between 2 and 12, the EOF measured on a magenta PT chip, for example, ranged from 3.8 to 5.8 (× 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) ). Typical separations of inorganic cations (K(+) , Na(+) , and Li(+) ) were used as model system to investigate the analytical feasibility of the proposed devices. The repeatability for the migration times of all analytes exhibited RSD values lower than 1% (n = 10). The separation efficiencies found on colored PT devices ranged from 10 000 to 49 000 plates/m, which means between 7 and 23% of the maximum theoretical efficiency on this microfluidic platform (1.85 × 10(5) plates/m). The improvements achieved on the proposed devices are associated with the small additional amount of silica on the toner composition as well as the printing of channels with smoother surfaces and better uniformity when compared to the conventional PT chips printed with monochromatic laser printers.

Contactless conductivity detection for analytical techniques—Developments from 2012 to 2014

“…A method for fabrication of cheap microchips based on printing the microchannel structure on a thin polyester film using a laser printer and laminating it with a second polyester film, which acts as the microchip cover, was described by Coltro and co‐workers . C 4 D electrodes were fabricated from thin printed circuit boards and were placed on a chip holder underneath the chips.…”

Fast and versatile fabrication of PMMA microchip electrophoretic devices by laser engraving

“…Although photolithographic techniques have been traditionally used to produce high-end devices using silica-based substrates, the process can be time-consuming and render chips that are (often) too expensive for most research laboratories. On the other extreme, techniques using paper and polyester-toner have been used to manufacture chips in less than 10 min with a cost lower than $ 0.10 per device, but the chemistry and topography of the materials often hinder the applicability of the technology [10,14,15]. Besides these examples, a range of polymers have emerged as alternative materials to fabricate ME devices [16][17][18][19].…”

Recent applications of paper‐based point‐of‐care devices for biomarker detection

“…Presently, thread/PADs can also be fabricated as a simple platform for bioassays . In addition, a commonly used toner (a powder consisting of polymer [acrylate and styrene] and iron oxide or silicon dioxide ) in laser printers or photocopiers can be utilized as a novel and cost‐effective platform for LOC devices. Direct printing or simple protocols involving print, cut, and laminate are well‐established for fabrication of polyester‐toner‐based devices, which enable the production of multiple devices in a few minutes.…”