Silicon wafer microchannel walls

Microchip substrate is open to a variety of materials. Silicon wafer is a good material to build up microstructures if fabrication facilities are available. Glass has good chemical and optical properties, and some polymers are cost effective for mass production. The surface treatment of the microchannel is critically important for all materials. This is because of the nonspecific adsorption of the analytes and antibodies to the channel wall that will result in considerable analytical error. It is very important to modify the surface with some blocking reagents or other materials to prevent protein adsorption before experiments. Therefore, we must choose a material of which, surface chemistry is well understood. 

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