Rapid bench-top fabrication of poly(dimethylsiloxane)/polystyrene microfluidic devices incorporating high-surface-area sensing electrodes.

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.

A rapid and sensitive fluorimetric ß-galactosidase assay for coliform detection using chlorophenol red-ß-D-galactopyranoside.

We report on a new fluorimetric assay for ß-galactosidase (ß-gal) and faecal coliform bacteria that utilizes a long-wavelength dye, chlorophenol red-ß-D-galactopyranoside (CPRG), that has been widely used for colorimetric assays. The novel feature of this new assay is the unexpected development of a large fluorescence response from liberated chorophenol red (CPR) upon complexation with poly-L-arginine (pR) in solution. The binding of CPR to pR occurs through the sulphonate group of CPR, causing formation of a charge-transfer complex and up to a 70-fold increase in emission intensity. A major advantage of the assay is the ability to utilize excitation and emission wavelengths in the red end of the spectrum, which avoids common interferences obtained when using UV-absorbing dyes such as 4-methylumbelliferyl-ß-D-galactopyranoside. We provide data on the utility of CPRG as a fluorimetric reporter for both ß-gal and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and demonstrate optimized reaction conditions for rapid and sensitive detection of E. coli at a level of 1 colony-forming unit (cfu)/10 mL after 12 h of culture followed by a 1-h assay, which is below the regulatory limit for testing of recreational water.