FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia- for financial support in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2019 and under projects PTDC/EEISII/5582/2014, PTDC/BTM-MAT/28237/2017 and PTDC/EMD-EMD/28159/2017. R.B-P. acknowledges also support from FCT (SFRH/BD/140698/2018). Finally, the authors acknowledge funding The authors thank funding by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERFD) through the project PID2019-106099RBC43 / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033 and from the Basque Government Industry and Education Department under the ELKARTEK, HAZITEK and PIBA (PIBA-2018-06) programs, respectively. Funding from European Union's Horizon 2020 Programme for Research, ICT-02-2018 - Flexible and Wearable Electronics. Grant agreement no. 824339 – WEARPLEX is acknowledged. Technical and human support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU, MICINN, GV/EJ, EGEF and ESF ...
Portable analytical systems are increasingly required for clinical analysis or environmental monitoring, among others, being materials with tailored physicochemical properties among the main needs for successful functional implementation. This article describes the processing of fluorinated poly(vinylidene-co-trifluorethylene), P(VDF-TrFE), membranes with tailored morphological and physicochemical properties to be used as microfluidic substrates for portable analytical systems, commonly called point-of-care systems in the medical field. The morphology of the developed membranes includes spherulitic, porous, randomly oriented, and oriented fibers. Furthermore, the processed hydrophobic P(VDF-TrFE) membranes were post-treated by oxygen plasma to make them superhydrophilic. The influence of morphology and plasma treatment on the physicochemical properties and capillary flow rates was evaluated. Microfluidic systems were then designed and printed by wax printing for the colorimetric quantification of glucose. The systems comprise eight reaction chambers, each glucose concentration (25, 50, 75, and 100 mg dL–1) being measured in two reaction chambers separately and at the same time. The results demonstrate the suitability of the developed microfluidic substrates based on their tailorable morphology, improved capillary flow rate, wax print quality, homogeneous generation of colorimetric reaction, and excellent mechanical properties. Finally, the possibility of being reused, along with their electroactive properties, can lead to a new generation of microfluidic substrates based on fluorinated membranes. ; Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under strategic funding UID/FIS/04650/2020, UIDB/04436/2020, UIDP/04436/2020 and projects PTDC/EMD-EMD/28159/2017 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028159). The authors also thank the FCT for financial support under grant SFRH/BD/140698/2018 (R.B.P.) The authors also acknowledge funding from the Basque Government Industry and Education Departments under the ELKARTEK and PIBA ...
