Fabrication of a fiberglass-packed channel in a microchip for flow injection analysis

A novel fiberglass-packed channel in a microchip has been fabricated for flow injection analysis (FIA) based on the in situ polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA). MMA prepolymer molding solution containing an ultraviolet initiator was sandwiched between a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cover plate and a PMMA base plate bearing a glycerol-permeated fiberglass bundle and exposed to UV light. During the UV-initiated polymerization, the fiberglass bundle was embedded in the PMMA substrate to form a fiberglass-packed microchannel. When the glycerol in the fiberglass bundle was flushed away with water, the obtained porous fiberglass-packed microchannel could serve as an electroosmotic pump and a FIA channel. Scanning electron micrographs offer insights into the fiber-based microchip. The analytical performance of the FIA system has been demonstrated by detecting catechol in connection with end-column amperometric detection. The fiber- based microchips can be fabricated by the new approach without the need for complicated and expensive lithography-based microfabrication techniques, indicating great promise for the low-cost production of microchips, and should find a wide range of applications.