Characterizing electroosmotic flow in microfluidic devices

The current-monitoring method was used to measure the electroosmotic flow (EOF) in borosilicate glass capillaries and zeonor plastic microfluidic devices. The surface of the zeonor devices must be oxidized to support EOF and this treatment shows signs of aging within 6 days. Oxidized zeonor devices showed the same response to changes in applied field, pH, and ionic concentration as the capillaries. The effects of several common dynamic surfactant coatings on the walls were also studied (0.1%, v/v solutions of POP-6, POP-4, Pluronics L81, and NP-40). These generally significantly suppressed the EOF but required several days to stabilize. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.