Modification of surface properties of microfluidic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11759780-B2
Application number	US-202117153311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2021
Priority date	Dec 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

Compositions, devices, and methods are disclosed for the modification of polymer surfaces with coatings having a dispersion of silicone polymer and hydrophobic silica. The surface coatings provide the polymer surface with high hydrophobicity, as well as increased resistance to biofouling with proteinaceous material. The polymer surfaces can be particularly useful in microfluidic devices and methods that involve the contacting of the covalently modified polymer surfaces with emulsions of aqueous droplets containing biological macromolecules within an oil carrier phase.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing a coated polymer surface, wherein the coated polymer surface is an interior surface of a microfluidic channel, the method comprising:
contacting a substrate layer comprising a cyclic olefin polymer (COP) or cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), with a mixture comprising a silicone polymer, a silicone oil, and hydrophobic silica, such that at least a portion of the silicone polymer and hydrophobic silica adsorb to the substrate layer; and
flushing from the substrate layer the silicone polymer, silicone oil, and hydrophobic silica not adsorbed to the substrate layer, thereby producing the coated polymer surface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number average molecular weight of the silicone polymer is within the range from 1000 Da to 10,000 Da.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mass ratio of silicone polymer to hydrophobic silica in the mixture is within the range from 1.5:1 to 15:1.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicone polymer is polydimethylsiloxane.

5. The method of claims 1 , wherein the molecular weight of the silicone oil is less than 500 Da.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicone oil is hexamethyldisiloxane.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
washing the coated polymer surface with a fluorinated solvent.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fluorinated solvent is 1,1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4-nonafluoro-4-methoxybutane.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer comprises cyclic olefin polymer (COP).

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer comprises COP, wherein the mixture comprises polydimethylsiloxane, hexamethyldisiloxane, and hydrophobic silica, wherein the molecular weight of the silicone polymer is within the range from 1000 Da to 10,000 Da, and wherein the mass ratio of polydimethylsiloxane to hydrophobic silica in the coating layer is within the range from 1.5:1 to 15:1.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coated polymer surface has a water contact angle of greater than 100° .

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the water contact angle changes by less than 10° upon exposure to an aqueous 1 mg/mL bovine serum albumin solution for 1 hour.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer comprises cyclic olefin copolymer (COC).

Assignees

• Bio Rad Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• Ritchey Joshua
• Xue Yi
• Meltzer Robert

Classifications

• B01L3/502707 Primary

  characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components · CPC title

• B01L3/50273 Primary

  characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids · CPC title

• B01L3/502784

  specially adapted for droplet or plug flow, e.g. digital microfluidics · CPC title

• B81C1/00206

  Processes for functionalising a surface, e.g. provide the surface with specific mechanical, chemical or biological properties · CPC title

• C09D183/04

  Polysiloxanes · CPC title