Polymerase chain reaction compatibility of adhesive transfer tape based microfluidic platforms

Laser patterned adhesive transfer tapes are a rapid, versatile, and low cost option to fabricate microfluidic platforms. In this work, we examined the compatibility with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of different types of adhesive tape materials patterned with a CO2 laser cutter. Acrylic, polyimide, and silicone-based tapes were considered. We performed a systematic study on off-the-shelf adhesive tapes with respect to fluid handling, PCR inhibition, reagent loss, and on-chip PCR reaction. A novel microfluidic PCR approach was implemented that combines the advantages of previously reported systems. It uses a thermal gradient from a single heating element and the thermocycling was carried out by passing the reaction mixture back and forth in a microfluidic channel strategically placed along the thermal gradient. Only the silicone-based tapes were compatible with on-chip PCR. The overall fabrication process takes less than 30 min, uses only off-the-shelf finished or semi-finished materials, and is amenable to large-scale reel-to-reel processing.