Effects of membrane cast thickness on controlling the macrovoid structure in lateral flow nitrocellulose membrane and determination of its characteristics

Lateral flow in nitrocellulose membrane is widely used as the transport medium in immunological test strips. This study investigates the effect of cast thickness on membrane morphology and its performance. Results show that macrovoid structures only appear in membranes with an initial cast thickness of 800 μm. For membrane performance, it was observed that thicker membranes with more porous structure have a higher lateral wicking rate but simultaneously lower protein-binding ability on the membrane surface.