Rapid and cost-effective benchtop microfabrication of disposable carbon-based electrochemical microfluidic devices

A low-cost scalable xurography cleanroom-free approach is proposed for the development of disposable electrochemical microfluidic devices (EMDs). Microband carbon electrodes as narrow as 300 mu m and microchannels as small as 250 x 75 mu m (width x height) were thermally laminated at the bottom of the microchannels without further post-processing. Microband carbon electrodes exhibited a well-defined behavior in agreement to a Levich-like equation that led to a finely reaction control. In less than 1 h, about 50 EMDs can be produced (<0.01(sic) per device) making them compatible and affordable for common laboratories. Analytical capabilities were demonstrated by the development of an antioxidant capacity assay using a customized dual-channel EMD.