School of Chemical Technology Degree Programme of Forest
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School of Chemical Technology Degree Programme of Forest Products Technology Risto Koivunen INKJET-PRINTED HYDROPHOBIC PATTERNING OF POROUS SUBSTRATES FOR MICROFLUIDIC APPLICATIONS Master’s thesis for the degree of Master of Science in Technology submitted for inspection, Espoo, 16 April, 2014. Supervisor Professor Patrick Gane Instructor M.Sc. Eveliina Jutila Aalto University, P.O. BOX 11000, 00076 AALTO www.aalto.fi Abstract of master's thesis Author Risto Koivunen Title of thesis Inkjet-printed Hydrophobic Patterning of Porous Substrates for Microfluidic Applications Department Department of Forest Products Technology Professorship Paper and Printing Technology Code of professorship Puu-21 Thesis supervisor Prof. Patrick Gane Thesis advisor M.Sc. Eveliina Jutila Date 16.4.2014 Number of pages Language English 184+17 Abstract Paperfluidic devices are microfluidic devices patterned out of paper or other highly porous material. Liq- uid transport in paperfluidic devices is propelled either by surface wetting or interior capillary wicking. The direction of aqueous liquid flow on such devices is controlled by selective patterning of hydrophobic barriers on an otherwise hydrophilic base substrate. A variety of hydrophobic materials and printing methods have been lately demonstrated as feasible for producing such patterns. Unlike conventional graphic printing, hydrophobising ink has to penetrate the whole depth of the wicking substrate, in order to produce properly functioning leak-free barriers. One major expected application area for paperfluidics in the future is in the field of lab-on-a-chip devices, intended to provide simple, transportable, disposable and self-sufficient analysis tools for medical diag- nostics and environmental monitoring. On such devices, fluid samples flow along hydrophilic channels through assay zones, where they chemically interact with pre-applied reagents. This study focused on the development of simple solvent-based hydrophobic inks for inkjet printing of microfluidic patterning on paper substrates. Hydrophobic inks were produced by dissolving alkyl ketene dimer (AKD), paraffin wax and low molecular weight polystyrene in p-xylene. Hydrophobic test patterns were created by inkjet printing these inks on two highly porous filter papers. AKD ink was found to produce effective hydrophobic barriers but with poorly defined borders. Polystyrene ink produced well defined borders, but could only penetrate the full depth of the substrate on one paper. Channels 680 ± 80 µm wide and barriers 883 ± 91 µm wide could be produced with it. Adding polystyrene as a rheological modifier to AKD ink improved jetting frequency. Paraffin wax could not be dissolved in sufficient amounts to produce proper barriers. Hydrophobic ink penetration into filter paper was found to take place as film flow rather than through complete filling of pores. Paper properties and ink viscosity were considered to play a role in providing ink with a quick access to the reverse side. Differences in border definition might be due to the well-known coffee stain effect and different interaction with the cellulose fibre surfaces. Keywords Inkjet printing, Functional printing, Hydrophobic ink, Polystyrene, Alkyl ketene dimer, Microfluidics, Paperfluidics Aalto-yliopisto, PL 11000, 00076 AALTO www.aalto.fi Diplomityön tiivistelmä Tekijä Risto Koivunen Työn nimi Huokoisten materiaalien hydrofobinen kuviointi mustesuihkutulostuksella mikrofluidistisia sovelluksia varten Laitos Puunjalostustekniikan laitos Professuuri Paperi- ja painatustekniikka Professuurikoodi Puu-21 Työn valvoja Prof. Patrick Gane Työn ohjaaja DI Eveliina Jutila Päivämäärä 16.4.2014 Sivumäärä 184+17 Kieli Englanti Tiivistelmä Paperifluidiset laitteet ovat mikrofluidisia laitteita, jotka muodostetaan hydrofobisesti kuvioimalla paperia tai muuta huokoista materiaalia. Tällaisissa laitteissa vesi virtaa spontaanisti pintajännityksen ja kapillaa- ripaineen vaikutuksesta samalla kun hydrofobiset seinämät ohjaavat virtausta hydrofiilisia kanavia pitkin. Virtauskuvioita voidaan valmistaa olemassa olevilla painatusmenetelmillä käyttämällä hydrofobista mate- riaalia sisältäviä musteita. Toisin kuin perinteisessä graafisessa painatuksessa, hydrofobisia virtauskuvioi- ta valmistettaessa musteen täytyy tunkeutua paperiin koko sen syvyydeltä muodostaakseen toimivia sei- nämiä. Tulevaisuudessa paperifluidistiikan odotetaan tarjoavan alustan yksinkertaisille, helposti kuljetettaville ja kertakäyttöisille testilaitteille muun muassa lääketieteellisessä diagnostiikassa ja ympäristön laadun tark- kailussa. Tällaisissa laitteissa nestemäiset näytteet virtaavat hydrofiilisia kanavia pitkin testialueille, joissa ne reagoivat valmistusvaiheessa lisättyjen kemikaalien kanssa. Tässä tutkimuksessa keskityttiin tutkimaan yksinkertaisten liuotinpohjaisten mustesuihkumusteiden käyttöä virtauskuvioiden muodostamiseen paperille. Hydrofobiset musteet valmistettiin liuottamalla alkyyliketeenidimeeriä (AKD), parafiinia ja pienimolekyylimassaista polystyreenia p-ksyleeniin. Virtaus- kuviot muodostettiin tulostamalla musteita kahdelle eri suodatinpaperille. AKD-pohjainen muste muodosti tehokkaita hydrofobisia esteitä, tosin esteiden reuna-alueet olivat epä- tarkkoja. Polystyreeni-pohjainen muste muodosti tarkkarajaisia kuvioita, mutta tunkeutui riittävästi pa- perin läpi vain toisella testatulla paperilla. Sillä voitiin kuitenkin valmistaa 680 ± 80 µm leveitä kanavia ja 883 ± 91 µm leveitä hydrofobisia seinämiä. Lisäksi pienen polystyreenimäärän lisääminen AKD- pohjaiseen musteeseen paransi syntyneen musteen tulostustaajuutta. Parafiini ei liuennut riittävissä mää- rin muodostaakseen tehokkaita esteitä paperille. Hydrofobisten musteiden tunkeutuminen paperiin tapahtui pääasiallisesti pintavirtauksena kuitujen pintoja pitkin, näiden välisten huokosten täyttymisen sijaan. Paperin ominaisuudet ja musteen viskosi- teetti olivat merkittävässä osassa musteen tunkeutumissyvyyden kannalta. Erot hydrofobisten kuvioiden reuna-alueiden tarkkuudessa saattavat johtua hyvin tunnetusta kahvitahrailmiöstä ja hydrofobisoivien materiaalien erilaisesta vuorovaikutuksesta selluloosakuidun pinnan kanssa. Avainsanat mustesuihkutulostus, funktionaalinen painatus, hydrofobinen muste, po- lystyreeni, alkyyliketeenidimeeri, mikrofluidistiikka, paperifluidistiikka Foreword This study was conducted in the Department of Forest Products Technology as part of the Functional Wicking Surfaces project, supported by Omya International AG. This work would not have been possible without contributions from many other persons. Firstly, I would like to thank Professor Patrick Gane for providing me with this very exciting research topic, as well for coming up with plenty of ideas and questions as the study progressed, not to mention practical advice with writing in English. He also encouraged me to submit an Abstract based on this work to the IARIGAI 2014 conference. I would also like to express my gratitude to Eveliina Jutila for plenty of practical advice, inspiration and interesting discussions during this work. Various other staff members and researchers, too numerous to name here, have been most helpful in providing assistance on a wide variety of practical issues. Special mention has to be made of Timo Hartus, who helped to find most of the instruments used in this study and provided practical assistance with CAM 200, and of Michael Hummel, who provided practical assistance with the MCR-300 rheometer. Chemigate Oy is acknowledged for donating the AKD sample used in this study. Finally, a special mention has to be made of previous researchers in the field of paperfluidics. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, they have in a few years published a wealth of material, demonstrating how existing materials and technology can be combined to produce novel but simple devices. Otaniemi 16.4.2014 Risto Koivunen Table of Contents List of symbols ..........................................................................................................................8 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................9 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................10 1.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 10 1.2 Research goals ......................................................................................................... 12 2 Paperfluidic devices ....................................................................................................13 2.1 Structure .................................................................................................................. 13 2.2 Reagents and applications ....................................................................................... 16 2.2.1 General .......................................................................................................... 16 2.2.2 Bioagents as reagents .................................................................................... 17 2.2.3 Bioagent stability ........................................................................................... 19 2.2.4 Detection of microbes ................................................................................... 20 2.2.5 Some other reagents and their applications ................................................... 21 2.3 Analysis of bodily fluids.........................................................................................