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Analysis of DNA fragments by microchip electrophoresis fabricated on poly(methyl methacrylate) substrates using a wire‐imprinting method
Author(s) -
Chen YuHung,
Chen ShuHui
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1522-2683(20000101)21:1<165::aid-elps165>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - electrophoresis , materials science , methyl methacrylate , analytical chemistry (journal) , substrate (aquarium) , joule heating , poly(methyl methacrylate) , fluorescence , polymethyl methacrylate , chromatography , polymer , chemistry , composite material , polymerization , optics , oceanography , physics , geology
Microfluidic devices were fabricated on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrate using two small‐diameter (79 μm) wires to create a cross impression in plastics softened by low‐temperature heating. The resulting channels had a rounded shape and 75 μm in depth. The variability of the channel dimensions was found to be less than 6% from different locations of the same channel and less than 10% between chips. Moreover, the fabricated PMMA chip appeared to sustain an electric field strength up to 300 V/cm without significant Joule heating. The function of resulting devices for electrophoretic injection and separation of a DNA size marker, Hae III digest of ΦX174, was also characterized. Results indicated that all of the 11 DNA fragments of the size marker could be identified in less than 3 min with relative standard deviations less than 0.4% and 8% for migration time and peak area, respectively. Moreover, with the use of near infrared (IR) dye, fluorescence signals of the higher molecular weight fragments (> 603 bp in length) could be detected at total DNA concentrations as low as 0.1 μg/mL (S/N = 4.2). In conclusion, the performance of wire‐imprinted devices on PMMA substrate were comparable to those fabricated by other professional means.