Non-lithographic wrinkle nanochannels for protein preconcentration

A low-cost fabrication method is proposed for preparing close-packed nanofluidic channels for protein pre-concentration. The wrinkle pattern can be prepared by stretching a sheet of poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) and treating with oxygen plasma to produce stiff skin. The study applied strain to a PDMS sheet and then applied plasma treatment to the sheet. A strain directly applied on the PDMS layer with microfluidic channels during the study to produce inhomogeneous nanofluidic channels, the channels has three sides made of PDMS and one side made from glass. It was observed during the study that the WNCs can be integrated with microfluidic channels that further produce a functional and uniform nanochannel array. The study also found that the WNCs can produce uniform array of high density with controlled dimensions in a specified region.