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Characterisation and comparison of microfluidic chips formed using abrasive jet micromachining and wet etching

The electro-osmotic flow limit of detection and separation efficiency of glass channels machined using abrasive jet micromachining (AJM) were measured and compared with those for channels machined using conventional wet etching with hydrofluoric acid. It was found that the electro-osmotic mobility in AJM channels was similar to that in wet-etched channels, ∼4 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1 for 20 µm channels, despite a two-decade difference in surface roughness. Similarly, limits of detection measured on the two types of chips were roughly comparable to each other and on the order of 1 nM (injected sample concentration). The separation efficiency calculated from TAMRA dye injections in AJM channels, however, was found to be significantly lower, ∼0.2–0.25 times, than that in wet-etched channels. The effect of surface roughness on the separation efficiency and electro-osmotic mobility in micro-channels is discussed in the context of the literature. Furthermore, experimental data concerning the effect of the AJM process conditions on the surface roughness are presented and discussed with the aim of exploring methods to improve surface quality in AJM. Commercially available self-adhesive elastomeric masks were found to be particularly suitable for rapid prototyping as they provided reasonably high resolution and machining flexibility.