Prototyping of poly(dimethylsiloxane) interfaces for flow gating, reagent mixing, and tubing connection in capillary electrophoresis

Integrated microfluidic systems coupled with electrophoretic separations have broad application in biologic and chemical analysis. Interfaces for the connection of various functional parts play a major role in the performance of a system. Here, we developed a rapid prototyping method to fabricate monolithic poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) interfaces for flow-gated injection, online reagent mixing, and tube-to-tube connection in an integrated capillary electrophoresis (CE) system. The basic idea was based on the properties of PDMS: elasticity, transparency, and suitability for prototyping. The molds for these interfaces were prepared by using commercially available stainless steel wires and nylon lines or silica capillaries. A steel wire was inserted through the diameter of a nylon line and a cross format was obtained as the mold for PDMS casting of flow gates and 4-way mixers. These interfaces accommodated tubing connection through PDMS elasticity and provided easy visual trouble shooting. The flow gate used smaller channel diameters, thus reducing flow rate by 25-fold for effective gating compared with mechanically machined counterparts. Both PDMS mixers and the tube-to-tube connectors could minimize the sample dead volume by using an appropriate capillary configuration. As a whole, the prototyped PDMS interfaces are reusable, inexpensive, convenient for connection, and robust when integrated with the CE detection system. Therefore, these interfaces could see potential applications in CE and CE-coupled systems.