Functionalization of nitrocellulose membranes using ammonia plasma for the covalent attachment of antibodies for use in membrane-based immunoassays

Abstract A plasma process using NH 3 was developed in order to incorporate amine functions on the surface of nitrocellulose membranes for an oriented covalent attachment of antibodies through their oxidized carbohydrate moieties. An average covalent binding capacity of 60 μg/cm 2 of antibodies was reached. The potential use of this process in developing environmental immunochemical techniques was demonstrated.