Is there a set of materials (glass, plastics etc.) that are usually used for commercial analytical devices involving nucleic acids, cells etc. Like for commercial NGS platforms what materials are used for tubing, fluidic/sample prep components etc.? I understand fluorinated plastics (Teflon, CTFE) work well in droplet PCR instruments like QX200 with fluorinated oils. Is there something similar that is used in non-oil (water/buffer) based solvents? Or are they mostly proprietary (including surface treatment methods)?
Various grades of Teflon filters work well in both aqueous and non-aqueous environments. Finding the optimum porosity for your application can be tricky.
For tubing, there are many choices. Depends on what chemical resistance, bio-compatible, pliability and/or sterilization characteristics are needed. Many types of tubing available, including: Polyurethane, Silicon, Viton, Tygon 2375 and of course Teflon variations available. Your specific application will dictate which are most appropriate.
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) tubing can be used for a wide range of applications. It is flexible, with excellent mechanical stability and chemical compatibility, they can stand cleaning protocols except with concentrated acids. Regarding the chips itself, you can consider Self Assembled Monolayers (SAMs) to prevent fouling. For instance, as far as I know, Tween 20 works for certain droplet generators (prevents accumulation of proteins on the walls). And, there may be several options using appropriate silanes, which should be handled with care for safety reasons (such surface treatments are mostly carried out under fume hood)
I've also used PEEK successfully, both for tubing and machined chambers and parts. MACOR (a proprietary machinable ceramic works well also.
Beside of the already mentioned materials you can also use Tygon tubing, they are very flexible but useful only in low pressure systems. Stainless steel is also available, especially for high pressure applications.
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