Affinity Separations Using Microfabricated Microfluidic Devices: In Situ Photopolymerization and Use in Protein Separations

The use of microfabricated microfluidic devices offers significant advantages over current technologies including fast analysis time and small reagent requirements. In the context of proteomic research, the possibility of using affinity-based separations for prefractionation of samples using microfluidic devices has significant potential. We demonstrate the use of microscale devices to achieve affinity separations of proteins using a device fabricated from borosilicate glass wafers. Photolithography and wet etching are used to pattern individual glass wafers and the wafers are fusion bonded at 650$^{\circ}C$ to obtain enclosed channels. A polymer has been successfully polymerized in situ and used either as a frit for packing beads or, when derivatized with Cibacron Blue 3GA, as a separation matrix. Both of these technologies are based on in situ UV photopolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) in channels.