1. Combining the geometry of folded paper with liquid-infused polymer surfaces to concentrate and localize bacterial solutions
- Author
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Emily J LeClair, Chloe Lilly, Daniel P. Regan, Caitlin Howell, Liza R White, Alexander Collins, and Abigail Weigang
- Subjects
Paper ,Staphylococcus aureus ,Materials science ,Polymers ,Surface Properties ,Evaporation ,General Physics and Astronomy ,02 engineering and technology ,Surface type ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Bacterial Adhesion ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Overlayer ,Biomaterials ,Rhodamine ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Suspensions ,Escherichia coli ,General Materials Science ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Bacteriological Techniques ,Polydimethylsiloxane ,Liquid layer ,General Chemistry ,Polymer ,Adhesion ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,0104 chemical sciences ,Chemical engineering ,chemistry ,0210 nano-technology - Abstract
Point-of-care (POC) detection and diagnostic platforms provide critical information about health and safety conditions in austere and resource-limited settings in which medical, military, and disaster relief operations are conducted. In this work, low-cost paper materials commonly used in POC devices are coated with liquid-infused polymer surfaces and folded to produce geometries that precisely localize complex liquid samples undergoing concentration by evaporation. Liquid-infused polymer surfaces were fabricated by infusing silicone-coated paper with a chemically compatible polydimethylsiloxane oil to create a liquid overlayer. Tests on these surfaces showed no remaining bacterial cells after exposure to a sliding droplet containing a concentrated solution of Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus, while samples without a liquid layer showed adhesion of both microdroplets and individual bacterial cells. Folding of the paper substrates with liquid-infused polymer surfaces into several functional 3D geometries enabled a clean separation and simultaneous concentration of a liquid containing rhodamine dye into discrete, predefined locations. When used with bacteria, which are known for their ability to adhere to nearly any surface type, functional geometries with liquid-infused polymer surfaces concentrated the cells at levels significantly higher than geometries with dry control surfaces. These results show the potential of synergistically combining paper-based materials with liquid-infused polymer surfaces for the manipulation and handling of complex samples, which may help the future engineering of POC devices.
- Published
- 2019