Low-Voltage Origami-Paper-Based Electrophoretic Device for Rapid Protein Separation

• Published in: Analytical chemistry (Washington) 2014-12, Vol.86 (24), p.12390-12397
• Main Authors: Luo, Long, Li, Xiang, Crooks, Richard M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Capillary electrophoresis; Design engineering; Devices; Diagnostic tests; Electric potential; Electricity; Electrophoresis; Electrophoresis, Paper - methods; Fluorescence; Molecules; Proteins; Proteins - chemistry; Separation; Voltage
• ISSN: 0003-2700; 1520-6882
• DOI: 10.1021/ac503976c

We present an origami paper-based electrophoretic device (oPAD-Ep) that achieves rapid (∼5 min) separation of fluorescent molecules and proteins. Due to the innovative design, the required driving voltage is just ∼10 V, which is more than 10 times lower than that used for conventional electrophoresis. The oPAD-Ep uses multiple, thin (180 μm/layer) folded paper layers as the supporting medium for electrophoresis. This approach significantly shortens the distance between the anode and cathode, and this, in turn, accounts for the high electric field (>1 kV/m) that can be achieved even with a low applied voltage. The multilayer design of the oPAD-Ep enables convenient sample introduction by use of a slip layer as well as easy product analysis and reclamation after electrophoresis by unfolding the origami paper and cutting out desired layers. We demonstrate the use of oPAD-Ep for simple separation of proteins in bovine serum, which illustrates its potential applications for point-of-care diagnostic testing.