Thiol-ene microfluidic devices for microchip electrophoresis: Effects of curing conditions and monomer composition on surface properties

Thiol-ene polymer formulations are raising growing interest as new low-cost fabrication materials for microfluidic devices. This study addresses their feasibility for microchip electrophoresis (MCE) via characterization of the effects of UV curing conditions and aging on the surface charge and wetting properties. A detailed comparison is made between stoichiometric thiol-ene (1:1) and thiol-ene formulations bearing 50% molar excess of allyls (“enes”), both prepared without photoinitiator or other polymer modifiers. Our results show that the surface charge of thiol-ene 1:1 increases along with increasing UV exposure dose until a threshold (here, about 200 J/cm2), whereas the surface charge of thiol-ene 2:3 decreases as a function of increasing UV dose. However, no significant change in the surface charge upon storage in ambient air was observed over a period of 14 days (independent of the curing conditions). The water contact angles of thiol-ene 2:3 (typically 70-75°) were found to be less dependent on the UV dose and storing time. Instead, water contact angles of thiol-ene 1:1 slightly decrease (from initial 90 to 95° to about 70°) as a function of UV increasing exposure dose and storing time. Most importantly, both thiol-ene formulations remain relatively hydrophilic over extended periods of time, which favors their use in MCE applications. Here, MCE separation of biologically active peptides and selected fluorescent dyes is demonstrated in combination with laser-induced fluorescence detection showing high separation efficiency (theoretical plates 8200 per 4 cm for peptides and 1500-2700 per 4 cm for fluorescent dyes) and lower limits of detection in the sub-μM (visible range) or low-μM (near-UV range) level.