Rapid, Simple and Inexpensive Fabrication of Paper-Based Analytical Devices by Parafilm® Hot Pressing.

Surasak Kasetsirikul,Nam-Trung Nguyen,Kimberley Clack,Muhammad J A Shiddiky

doi:10.3390/mi13010048

Surasak Kasetsirikul, Nam-Trung Nguyen + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13010048

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Journal: Micromachines	Publication Date: Dec 29, 2021
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Griffith University

Abstract

Paper-based analytical devices have been substantially developed in recent decades. Many fabrication techniques for paper-based analytical devices have been demonstrated and reported. Herein, we report a relatively rapid, simple, and inexpensive method for fabricating paper-based analytical devices using parafilm hot pressing. We studied and optimized the effect of the key fabrication parameters, namely pressure, temperature, and pressing time. We discerned the optimal conditions, including a pressure of 3.8 MPa, temperature of 80 °C, and 3 min of pressing time, with the smallest hydrophobic barrier size (821 µm) being governed by laminate mask and parafilm dispersal from pressure and heat. Physical and biochemical properties were evaluated to substantiate the paper functionality for analytical devices. The wicking speed in the fabricated paper strips was slightly lower than that of non-processed paper, resulting from a reduced paper pore size after hot pressing. A colorimetric immunological assay was performed to demonstrate the protein binding capacity of the paper-based device after exposure to pressure and heat from the fabrication. Moreover, mixing in a two-dimensional paper-based device and flowing in a three-dimensional counterpart were thoroughly investigated, demonstrating that the paper devices from this fabrication process are potentially applicable as analytical devices for biomolecule detection. Fast, easy, and inexpensive parafilm hot press fabrication presents an opportunity for researchers to develop paper-based analytical devices in resource-limited environments.

Highlights

IntroductionPaper-based analytical devices or paperfluidic devices have attracted enormous attention in the past few decades
Published: 29 December 2021Paper-based analytical devices or paperfluidic devices have attracted enormous attention in the past few decades
The fabrication process for paper-based devices reported here offers (i) speed with an entire process time of less than 5 min, (ii) simplicity as only two steps are needed: cutting the mask with a laser cutting machine and hot pressing, and (iii) low cost as the total fabrication cost being less than 0.01 USD per device, Table 1

Summary

Introduction

Paper-based analytical devices or paperfluidic devices have attracted enormous attention in the past few decades. They demonstrated the possibility of being cost-effective, biodegradable, and used as platforms for point-of-care diagnostic devices [1,2,3]. The paper-based fabrication process can be classified into two main steps: (i) deposition of patterned hydrophobicity via photolithography [7,8], wax plotting [9], polymer or wax printing [10,11], and other deposition methods [12,13,14,15,16,17], and (ii) removing hydrophobic material to get the final pattern, such as inkjet etching [18], plasma etching [19], chemical wet etching [20], or laser treatment [21,22]. Some of the fabrication steps require precise and Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

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