Abstract
The development of widely applicable point-of-care sensing and diagnostic devices can benefit from simple and inexpensive fabrication techniques that expedite the design, testing, and implementation of lab-on-a-chip devices. In particular, electrodes integrated within microfluidic devices enable the use of electrochemical techniques for the label-free detection of relevant analytes. This work presents a novel, simple, and cost-effective bench-top approach for the integration of high surface area three-dimensional structured electrodes fabricated on polystyrene (PS) within poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based microfluidics. Optimization of PS-PDMS bonding results in integrated devices that perform well under pressure and fluidic flow stress. Furthermore, the fabrication and bonding processes are shown to have no effect on sensing electrode performance. Finally, the on-chip sensing capabilities of a three-electrode electrochemical cell are demonstrated with a model redox compound, where the high surface area structured electrodes exhibit ultra-high sensitivity. We propose that the developed approach can significantly expedite and reduce the cost of fabrication of sensing devices where arrays of functionalized electrodes can be used for point-of-care analysis and diagnostics.
Highlights
The development of lab-on-a-chip (LoC) platforms for point-of-care detection and diagnostics requires the integration of sensing and transduction elements within fluidic channels of sub-millimetre dimensions
We propose that the developed approach can significantly expedite and reduce the cost of fabrication of sensing devices where arrays of functionalized electrodes can be used for point-of-care analysis and diagnostics
Two electrode designs were prepared; one to characterize electro-active surface area and the other, based on a design previously described by Dydek et al.,3 was used for electrochemical sensing
Summary
The development of lab-on-a-chip (LoC) platforms for point-of-care detection and diagnostics requires the integration of sensing and transduction elements within fluidic channels of sub-millimetre dimensions. Inexpensive benchtop photolithography has been successfully used to expedite the development of microfabricated devices without clean-room facilities.. Inexpensive benchtop photolithography has been successfully used to expedite the development of microfabricated devices without clean-room facilities.5 These approaches still rely on multi-step, lengthy and laborious processes and do not allow direct patterning of thin films or the formation of three-dimensional (3D) structured surfaces. These constraints still hinder the rapid development of inexpensive point-of-care devices that can be deployed in a variety of applications
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