A study of the autofluorescence of parylene materials for [small mu ]TAS applications

Parylene-C has been widely used as a biocompatible material for microfluidics and micro total analysis system ([small mu ]TAS) applications in recent decades. However, its autofluorescence can be a major obstacle for parylene-C based devices used in applications requiring sensitive fluorescence dete...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Lab on a chip 2010-01, Vol.10 (14), p.1826-1834
Main Authors: Lu, Bo, Zheng, Siyang, Quach, Brandon Quoc, Tai, Yu-Chong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biocompatibility
Devices
Excitation
Fluorescence
Infrared spectroscopy
Microfluidics
Microscopy
Stability
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Parylene-C has been widely used as a biocompatible material for microfluidics and micro total analysis system ([small mu ]TAS) applications in recent decades. However, its autofluorescence can be a major obstacle for parylene-C based devices used in applications requiring sensitive fluorescence detection. In this paper, Parylene-C was compared with other commonly used polymer and plastic materials in [small mu ]TAS devices for their autofluorescence. We also report here an in-depth study of the behaviors and mechanisms of the autofluorescence of parylene-C, as well as several other commercialized members in the parylene family, including parylene-D, parylene-N and parylene-HT, using epifluorescence microscopy, fluorimeter and infrared spectroscopy. Strong autofluorescence was induced in parylene-C during short-wavelength excitation (i.e. UV excitation). Variation of autofluorescence intensity of parylene-C film was found to be related to both dehydrogenation and photo-oxidation. Moreover, the influence of microfabrication process on parylene-C autofluorescence was also evaluated. Parylene-HT, which exhibits low initial autofluorescence, decreasing autofluorescence behavior under UV excitation and higher UV stability, can be a promising alternative for [small mu ]TAS applications with fluorescence detection.
ISSN:1473-0197
DOI:10.1039/B924855B