Gold polycarbonate microchannels for electrochemical applications

In this paper, we present gold-plating polycarbonate (PC) microchannels. The fabrication of the gold microfluidic channels is achieved by tuning the sequence of reagent insertion into milled and closed submillimeter PC system channels. The resulting gold surface can be utilized in many applications where the benefits of microfluidics, (bio)chemistry of surfaces, and electrochemistry can be combined.Here, we combine the advantages of electrochemistry with microfluidics by mixing the gold sensor with microfluidics. This approach differs from the classic one - the sensor will undergo modifications (e. g., shape and size) depending on the specific scientific problem and will be designed individually; hence its characteristics will be changed. Our goal in this work is to indicate new possibilities for combining two methodologies - electrochemistry and microfluidics. In our work, we emphasize that it confirms the validity of our chosen concept (proof-of-concept).In this work, we present one such application, the use of a gold microfluidic channel as a working electrode (WE). We describe the microchip's construction and electrochemical characterization, including the gold flow-through WE, the Ag/AgCl wire pseudo-reference, and the Pt auxiliary electrode. The measured current is the result of the flow through a rectangular duct of the gold microchannel electrode embedded in the four walls of the chip.

Automated summary

In this paper, the authors present a method for fabricating gold-plated polycarbonate microchannels by adjusting the sequence of reagent insertion. The resulting gold surface can be used in various applications that combine the advantages of microfluidics, surface chemistry, and electrochemistry. The authors demonstrate the combination of electrochemistry and microfluidics by integrating a gold sensor into the microfluidic system.