A novel strategy for the preparation of substrates useful in paper-microfluidics is presented. By a photo-chemical attachment of functional polymers to and microstructuring of thin polymer layers on paper substrates, small channels can be accessed through simple lithographic and printing means, respectively. Functional polymers, which carry photo-reactive benzophenone-groups are adsorbed to paper substrates from solution (i.e. by dip-coating, spin-coating or printing). In a second step, the fiber-adsorbed polymer molecules are covalently attached through UV-light irradiation, and non-bound macromolecules are removed by solvent-extraction. This simple step-and-repeat technology is used to define chemical micropatterns on paper-substrates. We introduce the general methodology of photo-chemical modification of paper substrates, as well as we show that so-prepared microstructured papers can be used to control and define fluid-permeation in defined paper channels, and thus are promising candidates for various paper microfluidics applications, and fundamental studies of fluid dynamics in paper.

Photo-chemical attachment of functional polymers to paper substrates for microfluidic applications

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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