Cheers everyone
I'm currently working with a microfabricated device composed by a thin PDMS sheet assembled onto a glycerol-coated glass slide. I need the PDMS to glide over the glass, hence I'm using the glycerol on the glass slide. The goal is to stretch the cells on the PDMS. However, if I want to grow cells in this device for more than 5 days in the incubator, the PDMS layer becomes stuck to the glass and I cannot stretch it. I don't know if this is due to adsorption of glycerol by PDMS or just a consequence of glycerol evaporation. Anyone has any ideas? And, in that line, anyone can suggest a compound which will also allow the PDMS to glide over the glass while not being adsorbed/evaporated? Thanks in advance!
Hi Filipe,
Based on the description provided by you, evaporation of glycerol is highly unlikely at the incubation temperatures as it has a very low vapour pressure!!! If you are using glycerol as a lubricant in your PDMS sliding on glass experiment, no matter what you do, PDMS will stick to the glass through the glycerol or any other such fluids. For stretching the pdms thin film, you much be using some sort of mechanical device. If possible, try to use ethanol in between the gap of PDMS and glass. The presence of ethanol will inhibit the adhesion of PDMS on to the glass and provide lubrication. As you are incubating this entire setup, try to work out the problem using some similar fluids which are not highly viscous but equally lubricant. You may try to make a provision to insert the ethanol in between the gap of PDMS and glass after incubation by making some sort of micro channels to carry ethanol to all over the area!!!
Regards
Hi Fillpe,
passivating your glass slide and/or the pdms might work.
It can achieved by one of the follow:
1.Use polystyrene petri dish cover slip instead of glass.
2. surface treat your glass and/or PDMS with fluorinated silane such as
Trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane.
Hope it will help.
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