Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is commonly used for fabricating microand nanofluidic devices due to its low cost and ease of fabrication. The major disadvantage to using PDMS for these applications is its hydrophobic properties. The current methods that enhance the hydrophilicity of elastomers used for microand nanofluidic applications are intricate and cost-inefficient. This contribution demons...

The capability of some natural molecular building blocks to self-organize into defined supramolecular architectures is a versatile tool for nanotechnological applications. Their site-selective integration into a technical context, however, still poses a major challenge. RNA-directed self-assembly of tobacco mosaic virus-derived coat protein on immobilized RNA scaffolds presents a possibility to...

A precise understanding of individual cellular processes is essential to meet the expectations of most advanced cell biology. Therefore single-cell analysis is considered to be one of possible approach to overcome any misleading of cell characteristics by averaging large groups of cells in bulk conditions. In the present work, we modified a newly designed microchip for single-cell analysis an...

The microreaction volumes of PCR chips (a microfabricated silicon chip bonded to a piece of flat glass to form a PCR reaction chamber) create a relatively high surface to volume ratio that increases the significance of the surface chemistry in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We investigated several surface passivations in an attempt to identify 'PCR friendly' surfaces and used those surfac...

The first absorbance biosensor based on pure silicon hollow integrated waveguides is presented in this work. With the use of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as a model recognition element, an enzymatic sensor for the measurement of hydrogen peroxide was fabricated, numerically simulated, and experimentally characterized. Waveguides with widths ranging from 50 to 80 microm, having a depth of 50 mic...

It is often necessary to tailor nanoparticle (NP) interactions and their compatibility with a polymer matrix by grafting organic groups, but the commonly used silanization route offers little versatility, particularly in water. Herein, alumina-coated silica NPs in aqueous sols have been modified for the first time with low molecular-weight phosphonic acids (PAs) bearing organic groups of variou...

Bifunctional silanes constitute valuable linking agents for attachment of biomolecules at high levels of surface population density through the formation of thioether or disulfide bonds. Three such compounds, 1-((trifluoroacetyl)-thio)-11-(trichlorosilyl)undecane, 1-bromo-11-(trichlorosilyl)undecane, and 1-((bromoacetyl)oxy)-11-(trichlorosilyl)undecane, are discussed in terms of their surface c...

Nanoelectrosprays, well known for their use in sample injection for the mass spectrometry of large biomolecules, can also be used in other applications such as spacecraft propulsion. The thrust generated by a single electrospray emitter is well below 1 μN, which is several orders of magnitude below the required thrust for planned formation flying missions. This paper presents the process flow a...

OBJECTIVES To verify the influence of different etching procedures of the post-surface on microtensile bond strength values between fiber posts and composite core materials. METHODS 60 DT Light Posts were divided into 10 subgroups using five different chemical surface treatments and two composite materials to build-up the abutment. Chemical surface treatments including etching with potassium ...

Electrowetting (EW) is widely used in digital microfluidics for the manipulation of drops sandwiched between two parallel plates. In contrast, demonstrations of closed microfluidic channels enhanced with EW functionality are scarce. Here, we report a simple, low-cost method to construct such microchannels enclosed between two glass plates, each of which comprises electrodes and insulating layer...