PDMS microchip coated with polydopamine/gold nanoparticles hybrid for efficient electrophoresis separation of amino acids†

In this paper, a novel, simple, economical and environmentally friendly method based on in situ chemically induced synthesis strategy was designed and developed for the modification of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchip channel with polydopamine/gold nanoparticles (PDA/Au NPs) to create a hydrophilic and biofouling resistant surface. Dopamine as a reductant and a monomer, and HAuCl4 as an oxidant to trigger dopamine polymerization and the source of metallic nanoparticles, were filled into the PDMS microchannel to yield in situ a well-distributed and robust PDA/Au NP coating. Au NPs were highly and uniformly dispersed in/on the PDA matrix with a narrow size distribution, as verified by scanning electron microscopy and UV-vis spectra. Compared with the native PDMS microchannel, the modified surfaces exhibited much better wettability, high stability and suppressed electroosmotic mobility, and less nonspecific adsorption towards biomolecules. The water contact angle and EOF of PDA/Au NP-coated PDMS microchip were measured to be 13° and 4.17×10−4 cm2/V s, compared to those of 111° and 5.33×10−4 cm2/V s from the native one, respectively. Fast and efficient separations of five amino acids such as arginine, proline, histidine, valine and threonine suggested greatly improved electrophoretic performance of the PDA/Au NP-functionalized PDMS microchips. This one-step procedure offers an effective approach for a biomimetic surface design on microfluidic chips, which is promising in high-throughput and complex biological analysis.