Fabrication of microfluidic devices using dry film photoresist for microchip capillary electrophoresis

An inexpensive, disposable microfluidic device was fabricated from a dry film photoresist using a combination of photolithographic and hot roll lamination techniques. A microfluidic flow pattern was prefabricated in a dry film photoresist tape using traditional photolithographic methods. This tape became bonded to a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sheet with prepouched holes when passed through a hot roll laminator. A copper working electrode and platinum decoupler was readily incorporated within this microchip. The integrated microchip device was then fixed in a laboratory-built Plexiglas holder prior to its use in microchip capillary electrophoresis. The performance of this device with amperometric detection for the separation of dopamine and catechol was examined. The separation was complete within 50 s at an applied potential of 200 V/cm. The relative standard deviations (RSD) of analyte migration times were less than 0.71%, and the theoretical plate numbers for dopamine and catechol were 3.2 x 10(4) and 4.1 x 10(4), respectively, based on a 65 mm separation channel.     

Efficient photosensitized oxygenations in phase contact enhanced microreactors

A transparent dual-channel microreactor with highly enhanced contact area-to-volume ratio was fabricated for efficient photosensitized oxygenations. The dual-channel microreactor shielded with polyvinylsilazane (PVSZ) consisting of an upper channel for liquid flow and a lower channel for O(2) flow, allows sufficient phase contact along the parallel channels through a gas permeable PDMS membrane for maintaining the O(2) saturated solution. Under full exposure of reactants to light, the reactions in high concentration are completed in minutes rather than hours that it takes to complete in a batch reactor. Moreover, the scale-up process using the microreactor revealed higher productivity than the batch reactor, which would be valuable for the practical applications in a broad range of gas-liquid chemical reactions.     

Recent topics of functionalized organolithiums using flow microreactor chemistry

Examples in this mini-review illustrate the potential of flow microreactor chemistry in chemical science and chemical production. Flow microreactors provide a powerful method for novel transformations via functional organolithiums that cannot be achieved using a conventional macro batch reactor.     

Generation and reactions of oxiranyllithiums by use of a flow microreactor system

A flow microreactor system consisting of micromixers and microtubes provides an effective reactor for the generation and reactions of aryloxiranyllithiums without decomposition by virtue of short residence time and efficient temperature control. The deprotonation of styrene oxides with sBuLi can be conducted by using the flow microreactor system at -78 or -68 °C (whereas much lower temperatures (< -100 °C) are needed for the same reactions conducted under macrobatch conditions). The resulting α-aryloxiranyllithiums were allowed to react with electrophiles in the flow microreactor system at the same temperature. The sequential introduction of various electrophiles onto 2,3-diphenyloxiranes was also achieved by using an integrated flow microreactor, which serves as a powerful system for the stereoselective synthesis of tetrasubstituted epoxides.     

微通道反应器内"就地"合成沸石膜催化层及其性能

采用简单、新颖的沸石粒子引入方法,将NaX沸石晶种引入不锈钢微反应器的微通道内,并用流动法"就地"直接在微通道内通过沸石生长形成NaX沸石膜层,经铯离子交换处理成为CsNaX催化层,用苯甲醛和氰基乙酸乙酯的Knoevenagel缩合反应评价了该催化层的催化性能.结果表明,微通道内形成的沸石膜层连续,均匀,具有良好的催化功能.微反应器内缩合反应的结果明显优于传统反应器.     

水溶性丙烯酸酯类感光干膜的制备及其性能研究

用溶液聚合法合成了水溶性丙烯酸树脂,并以该树脂为成膜物质制备了水溶性感光干膜。傅立叶-红外光谱和¹HNMR分析表明,丙烯酸树脂中不含CC不饱和双键,基本不参与紫外光固化反应。感光干膜性能测试表明,干膜中丙烯酸树脂的酸值及重均分子量会影响干膜的解析度和附着力等性能。进一步的研究表明,曝光能量、感光级数和显影时间也会直接影响干膜的性能。以30 μm厚度干膜Ⅱ为例,为获得较好的性能,丙烯酸树脂中甲基丙烯酸含量范围为21.5%~23.8%,重均分子量范围为6.00×10⁴~7.54×10⁴,曝光能量设定40~60 mJ/cm²,感光级数为18~23/41^ST,显影时间40~50 s,在此条件下,干膜的解析度可以达到30 μm,附着力为20 μm,干膜线路的侧边形貌和尺寸稳定性良好。此外,感光干膜中丙烯酸酯的比例和种类也会影响干膜的各方面性能,通过调节干膜中各组分含量的比例可以优化干膜性能。     

一种248 nm光刻胶成膜树脂的合成及相关性能研究

通过自由基共聚合,制备了前驱体共聚物聚对特丁氧酰氧基苯乙烯-共-N-羟基-5-降冰片烯-2,3-二甲酰亚胺甲基丙烯酸酯,该共聚物可以通过热解而部分脱除酚羟基上的保护基,得到目标共聚物聚对羟基苯乙烯-共-N-羟基-5-降冰片烯-2,3-二甲酰亚胺甲基丙烯酸酯-共-对特丁氧酰氧基苯乙烯.通过对具有合适分子量的目标共聚物的有机溶剂溶解性、热性能、成膜性、抗干蚀刻能力和在248 nm处光学吸收(为0.212 μm^-1)性能进行研究,表明该聚合物能满足248 nm光刻胶成膜树脂的要求;此外,目标共聚物还具有酸致脱保性能.具有合适分子量和脱保率的目标共聚物,通过对其酸解留膜率的测试,推测其可能满足248 nm光刻胶的曝光显影工艺过程.     

Chemiluminescence biosensor chip based on a microreactor using carrier air flow for determination of uric acid in human serum

A chemiluminescence biosensor on a chip coupled to a microfluidic system and a microreactor is described in this paper. The chemiluminescence biosensor measured 25 x 75 x 6.5 mm in dimension, and was readily produced in an analytical laboratory. The sol-gel method is introduced to co-immobilize horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and luminol in the microreactor, and to immobilize uricase in the enzymatic reactor. The main characteristic of the biosensor was to introduce air as the carrier flow instead of the more common solution carrier for the first time. The uric acid was determined by a chemiluminescent (CL) reaction between the hydrogen peroxide produced from the enzymatic reactor and luminol under the catalysis of HRP in the microreactor. The linear range of the uric acid concentration was 1 to 100 mg L(-1) and the detection limit was 0.1 mg L(-1) (3sigma).     

一种可以正负互用的水型化学增幅抗蚀剂的研究

研究了一种由甲酚醛树脂、六甲氧基甲基三聚氰胺(HMMM)、六氟磷酸根二苯碘盐和光敏剂组成的水型紫外化学增幅抗蚀剂,发现二苯基碘盐不仅可以作为光敏产酸物,而且可以作为阻溶剂.用碘盐作为光敏产酸物,光解产生的酸可以在中烘时催化甲酚醛树脂与HMMM的交联反应;用氢氧化钠-乙醇水溶液显影可以得到负性光刻图形;采用碘盐作为阻溶剂,可阻止非曝光区的胶膜溶解在显影液中,用稀的氢氧化钠水溶液显影可以得到正性光刻图形.通过优化后的光刻工艺条件,采用不同的显影液和光刻工艺流程,实现了同一光致抗蚀剂的正负性反转,并分别得到负性和正性光刻图形.     

An inorganic-organic diblock copolymer photoresist for direct mesoporous SiCN ceramic patterns via photolithography

A high resolution negative-tone-type of inorganic-organic diblock copolymer photoresist was synthesized as a novel precursor for simple and direct fabrication of SiCN ceramic mesoporous patterns with ordered nanoscale pores by using a "top-down" photolithographic technique and the subsequent sacrificial processes of a "bottom-up" self-assembled nanostructure.     

Design of a capillary-microreactor for efficient Suzuki coupling reactions

A Pyrex glass capillary (0.4 mm internal diameter) microreactor was developed and used for Suzuki coupling reactions. Capillary-microreactors are more attractive than photolithographic microfluidic devices in terms of simplicity, low cost and ease of handling. Compared with the conventional synthesis procedure, our approach of using a capillary-microreactor offers a convenient and highly efficient means to optimize reaction conditions and the performance of catalysts. The procedure exhibits good precision, reproducibility and high reaction yield for a range of reactants investigated.     

A microcapillary system for simultaneous, parallel microwave-assisted synthesis

A continuous flow, microwave-assisted, parallel-capillary microreactor has been developed. Libraries of drug candidates were prepared on the milligram scale with this reactor by injecting plugs of reagents from separate syringes into common reaction capillaries, thereby producing discrete compounds in excellent yield and purity. Microwave irradiation provides the necessary energy that existing room-temperature microreactor technology lacks for higher activation barrier transformations, producing the required amounts of desired compounds in minutes or less.     

An automated-flow microreactor system for quick optimization and production: application of 10- and 100-gram order productions of a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor using a Sonogashira coupling reaction

Sonogashira coupling reaction leading to a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor was investigated using an automated microreactor system, which is a sequential temperature- and flow rate-programed reaction evaluation system. By repeating the use of this computer-controlled system four times, we were able to determine the optimal conditions and quickly apply them to a 10 g scale synthesis using the same microreactor system. The optimal conditions were also applied to a 100 g scale production by using another microflow system composed of a T-shaped micromixer (200 μm id) and a stainless tube reactor (2000 μm id and 20 m length). Total time spent for both optimization and production was as short as 50 h.     

Microreactor for the Catalytic Partial Oxidation of Methane

Fixed-bed reactors for the partial oxidation of methane to produce synthetic gas still pose hot-spot problems. An alternative reactor, which is known as the shell-and-tube-typed microreactor, has been developed to resolve these problems. The microreactor consists of a 1 cm outside-diameter, 0.8 cm inside-diameter and 11 cm length tube, and a 1.8 cm inside-diameter shell. The tube is made of dense alumina and the shell is made of quartz. Two different methods dip and spray coating were performed to line the tube side with the LaNixOy catalyst. Combustion and reforming reactions take place simultaneously in this reactor. Methane is oxidized in the tube side to produce flue gases (CO2 and H2O) which flow counter-currently and react with the remaining methane in the shell side to yield synthesis gas. The methane conversion using the higher-loading catalyst spray-coated tube reaches 97% at 700℃, whereas that using the lower-loading catalyst dip-coated tube reaches only 7.78% because of poor adhesion between the catalyst film and the alumina support. The turnover frequencies (TOFs) using the catalyst spray-and dip-coated tubes are 5.75×10-5 and 2.24×10-5 mol/gcat·s, respectively. The catalyst spray-coated at 900℃provides better performance than that at 1250℃because sintering reduces the surface-area. The hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio produced by the spray-coated catalyst is greater than the stoichiometric ratio, which is caused by carbon deposition through methane cracking or the Boudouard reaction.     

Dedicated polymers for future progress in microelectronics

The continuous miniaturization in microelectronics requires advanced materials and processes. Novel specifically functionalized anhydride-containing filmforming polymers which spontaneously react with bisaminoalkylsiloxanes were synthesized for use in photolithographic processes. This allows the modelling of photoresist patterns and thus enhancement of practical resolution. In addition, efficient polymeric dielectrics with improved solubility in environmentally safe solvents were developed. The latter can be patterned using the above mentioned photolithographic process.     

A Hantzsch synthesis of 2-aminothiazoles performed in a heated microreactor system

This paper presents the first example known to the authors of a heated organic reaction performed on a glass microreactor under electro-osmotic flow control. The experiments consisted of the preparation of a series of 2-aminothiazoles by means of a Hantzsch reaction of ring-substituted 2-bromoacetophenones and 1-substituted-2-thioureas carried out in microchannels, with the aim of investigating the generic utility of the reactor in carrying out analogue reactions. The reactions were performed on T-design microchips etched into a thin borosilicate glass plate and sealed over with a thick borosilicate top plate containing reservoirs. The mobility of the reagents and products was achieved using electro-osmotic flow (EOF), with the driving voltages being generated by a computer-controlled power supply. During the experiments the T-shaped chip was heated at 70 C using a Peltier heater, aligned with the channels and the heat generated by this device was applied to the lower plate. The degree of conversion was quantified by LC-MS using UV detection by comparison with standard calibration curves for starting materials and final products. In all cases, conversions were found to be similar or greater than those found for equivalent macro scale batch syntheses, thus illustrating the potential of this heated microreactor system to generate a series of compounds which contain biologically active molecules.     

The effect of a magnetic tape coating process on the structure and properties of a semi-crystalline polymer

A combination of structure identifying and bulk property experiments were combined with a two-phase analytical methodology to elucidate the influence of a magnetic tape coating process on the substrate polymer film. Employing a typical tape manufacturing process that utilizes coating, drying, and calendering stages, polyethylenete-rephthalate polymer film samples with and without the magnetic coating were prepared.Experiments and modeling studies performed on these samples demonstrate that the drying and calendering processes may increase the crystallinity and noncrystalline orientation of the substrate film. In addition, dynamic mechanical experiments identified a viscoelastic transition at 50 °C for the PET substrate film sample which is near the glass transition of the magnetic coating utilized. Overall, the results of this investigation provide a basis for evaluating structure property interrelations of polymer-based magnetic tapes.     

Photo‐hardenable and patternable PDMS/SU‐8 hybrid functional material: A smart substrate for flexible systems

The fabrication of flexible electronics and systems, using rigid and brittle materials directly produced on stretchable substrate, leads to some issues and incompatibilities. These include rigidity for processing and modular flexibility for applications, macroscopic flexibility, and local rigidity to shield components from strain, compatibility with technological steps, and at the same time allowing patterning and machining. The development of smart substrate materials which meet such needs is therefore a promising route for flexible systems. Here, we demonstrate that by mixing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and SU‐8 photoresist, we obtain both a photo‐hardenable and patternable stretchable hybrid material. A set of PDMS/SU‐8 and baking process combinations have been tested to determine an effective photo‐sensitive mixture. A standard photolithographic approach has been used on tensile test samples demonstrating a local hardening of millimeter‐sized ultraviolet exposed features and a local strain reduction reaching 35%. In addition, surface topography analysis and wet‐etching techniques have been used to demonstrate a light‐induced molding process and a selective etching of micrometer‐sized ultraviolet exposed patterns. The combined functional properties of the following material, its simplicity of implementation, and the well‐known assets of PDMS and SU‐8 make the PDMS/SU‐8 material very interesting and promising for various applications, especially stretchable systems. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1281–1291     

The preparation of a series of nitrostilbene ester compounds using micro reactor technology

The synthesis of stilbene esters using Wittig chemistry has been used to illustrate the generic diversity micro reactors offer in terms of chemical control and rapid method development. The micro reactor consisted of a 'T' design based on channel geometries 200 microns wide and 100 microns deep, etched into borosilicate glass and sealed with a borosilicate top plate using a thermal bonding technique. The movement of the reagent and products was achieved using electroosmotic flow (EOF), assisted by the incorporation of micro porous silica frits within the micro-channels to allow accurate solution control. To optimise the operating conditions methyl 4-formylbenzoate, premixed with sodium methoxide, was reacted with 2-nitrobenzyl-triphenylphosphonium bromide in dry degassed MeOH using flow conditions for both reagents of 0.40 microL min-1 for 20 min. A product yield of 70% (2:1 reaction stoichiometry with the aldehyde in excess) was obtained representing a 10% increase compared with the traditional batch synthesis. To demonstrate the capability of micro reactors to perform atom efficient synthesis a series of experiments based on an injection methodology (optimised to 30 s) were performed in the micro reactor at 1:1 stoichiometry resulting in a yield of 59%. Finally, the capability of micro reactors to perform a series of analogue reactions was investigated. The yields for a further three aldehydes indicated that the technology will be suitable for the development of automated device to support the generation of combinatorial libraries and rapid high throughput synthetic methods.     

Continuous flow enzyme-catalyzed polymerization in a microreactor

Enzymes immobilized on solid supports are increasingly used for greener, more sustainable chemical transformation processes. Here, we used microreactors to study enzyme-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone to polycaprolactone. A novel microreactor design enabled us to perform these heterogeneous reactions in continuous mode, in organic media, and at elevated temperatures. Using microreactors, we achieved faster polymerization and higher molecular mass compared to using batch reactors. While this study focused on polymerization reactions, it is evident that similar microreactor based platforms can readily be extended to other enzyme-based systems, for example, high-throughput screening of new enzymes and to precision measurements of new processes where continuous flow mode is preferred. This is the first reported demonstration of a solid supported enzyme-catalyzed polymerization reaction in continuous mode.