Thermoplastic nanofluidic devices for biomedical applications.

Microfluidics is now moving into a developmental stage where basic discoveries are being transitioned into the commercial sector so that these discoveries can affect, for example, healthcare. Thus, high production rate microfabrication technologies, such as thermal embossing and/or injection molding, are being used to produce low-cost consumables appropriate for commercial applications. Based on recent reports, it is clear that nanofluidics offers some attractive process capabilities that may provide unique venues for biomolecular analyses that cannot be realized at the microscale.

Characterization of activated cyclic olefin copolymer: effects of ethylene/norbornene content on the physiochemical properties.

The ethylene/norbornene content within cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) is well known to affect the chemical and physical properties of the copolymer, such as the glass transition temperature (T) and transparency. However, no work has been reported evaluating the effects of the ethylene/norbornene content on the surface properties of COC following UV/O or O plasma activation. Activation with either O plasma or UV/O is often used to assist in thermal assembly of fluidic devices, increasing the wettability of the surfaces, or generating functional scaffolds for the attachment of biological elements.