Issue 8, 2008

Patterning, integration and characterisation of polymer optical oxygen sensors for microfluidic devices

Abstract

This paper describes a process for the layer-by-layer fabrication and integration of luminescent dye-based optical oxygen sensors into microfluidic devices. Application of oxygen-sensitive platinum(II) octaethylporphyrin ketone fluorescent dye dissolved in polystyrene onto glass substrates by spin-coating was studied. Soft lithography with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamps and reactive ion etching in oxygen plasma were used to produce sensor patterns with a minimum feature size of 25 μm. Sensors patterns were integrated into a PDMS microfluidic device by plasma bonding. No degradation of the sensor response as a result of the lithography and pattern-transfer processes was detected. Gaseous and dissolved oxygen (DO) detection was characterised using fluorescence microscopy. The intensity signal ratio of the sensor films was found to increase almost two-fold from 3.6 to 6.8 by reducing film thickness from 1.3 μm to 0.6 μm. Calibration of DO measurement showed linear Stern–Volmer behaviour that was constant for flow rates from 0.5 to 2 mL min−1. The calibrated sensors were subsequently used to demonstrate laterally resolved detection of oxygen inside a microfluidic channel. The fabrication process provides a novel, easy to use method for the repeatable integration of optical oxygen sensors into cell-culture and lab-on-a-chip devices.

Graphical abstract: Patterning, integration and characterisation of polymer optical oxygen sensors for microfluidic devices

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Feb 2008
Accepted
06 Jun 2008
First published
23 Jun 2008

Lab Chip, 2008,8, 1300-1307

Patterning, integration and characterisation of polymer optical oxygen sensors for microfluidic devices

V. Nock, R. J. Blaikie and T. David, Lab Chip, 2008, 8, 1300 DOI: 10.1039/B801879K

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