Control of electroosmotic flow in laser-ablated and chemically modified hot imprinted poly(ethylene terephthalate glycol) microchannels.

The fabrication of microchannels in poly(ethylene terephthalate glycol) (PETG) by laser ablation and the hot imprinting method is described. In addition, hot imprinted microchannels were hydrolyzed to yield additional charged organic functional groups on the imprinted surface. The charged groups are carboxylate moieties that were also used as a means for the further reaction of different chemical species on the surface of the PETG microchannels. The microchannels were characterized by fluorescence mapping and electroosmotic flow (EOF) measurements. Experimental results demonstrated that different fabrication and channel treatment protocols resulted in different EOF rates. Laser-ablated channels had similar EOF rates (5.3+/-0.3 x 10(-4) cm(2)/Vs and 5.6+/-0.4 x 10(-4) cm(2)/Vs) to hydrolyzed imprinted channels (5.1+/-0.4 x 10(-4) cm(2)/Vs), which in turn demonstrated a somewhat higher flow rate than imprinted PETG channels that were not hydrolyzed (3.5+/-0.3 x 10(-4) cm(2)/Vs). Laser-ablated channels that had been chemically modified to yield amines displayed an EOF rate of 3.38+/- 0.1 x 10(-4) cm(2)/Vs and hydrolyzed imprinted channels that had been chemically derivatized to yield amines showed an EOF rate of 2.67+/-0.6 cm(2)/Vs. These data demonstrate that surface-bound carboxylate species can be used as a template for further chemical reactions in addition to changing the EOF mobility within microchannels.

Stability of Standard Electrolytic Conductivity Solutions in Glass Containers.

The stability of solutions having an electrolytic conductivity, κ , of 5 µS/cm to 100 000 µS/cm packaged in glass screw-cap bottles, glass serum bottles, and glass ampoules was monitored for 1 year to 2 years. The conductivity was determined by measuring the ac resistance of the solution. Mass loss was also monitored for solutions packaged in bottles. The solutions were prepared using KCl in water ( κ ≥100 µS/cm) or KCl in 30 % (by mass) n-propanol 70 % (by mass) water ( κ ≤ 15 µS/cm). The conductivity changes were compared by packaging type and by nominal κ . The main causes of the κ changes are evaporation (screw-cap bottles) and leaching (screw-cap bottles, serum bottles, and ampoules). Evaporation is determined from mass loss data; leaching occurs from the glass container with no change in mass. The choice of optimal packaging, which depends on the conductivity level, is the packaging in which κ changes the least with time. Ampoules are the most suitable packaging for standards having nominal κ values of 500 µS/cm to 100 000 µS/cm. Screw-cap bottles are most suitable for standards having a nominal κ of 5 µS/cm to 100 µS/cm.