Point-of-care (POC) detection and diagnostic platforms provide critical information about health and safety conditions in austere and resource-limited settings in which medical, military, and disaster relief operations are conducted. In this work, low-cost paper materials commonly used in POC devices are coated with liquid-infused polymer surfaces and folded to produce geometries that precisely localize complex liquid samples undergoing concentration by evaporation. Liquid-infused polymer surfaces were fabricated by infusing silicone-coated paper with a chemically compatible polydimethylsiloxane oil to create a liquid overlayer. Tests on these surfaces showed no remaining bacterial cells after exposure to a sliding droplet containing a concentrated solution of Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus, while samples without a liquid layer showed adhesion of both microdroplets and individual bacterial cells. Folding of the paper substrates with liquid-infused polymer surfaces into several functional 3D geometries enabled a clean separation and simultaneous concentration of a liquid containing rhodamine dye into discrete, predefined locations. When used with bacteria, which are known for their ability to adhere to nearly any surface type, functional geometries with liquid-infused polymer surfaces concentrated the cells at levels significantly higher than geometries with dry control surfaces. These results show the potential of synergistically combining paper-based materials with liquid-infused polymer surfaces for the manipulation and handling of complex samples, which may help the future engineering of POC devices.
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Combining the geometry of folded paper with liquid-infused polymer surfaces to concentrate and localize bacterial solutions
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July 2019
Research Article|
August 20 2019
Combining the geometry of folded paper with liquid-infused polymer surfaces to concentrate and localize bacterial solutions
Special Collection:
Special Topic Collection on Early Career Investigators
Daniel P. Regan
;
Daniel P. Regan
1
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Maine
, 5737 Jenness Hall, Orono, Maine 044692
Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine
, 42 Stodder Hall, Orono, Maine 04469
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Chloe Lilly;
Chloe Lilly
1
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Maine
, 5737 Jenness Hall, Orono, Maine 04469
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Abigail Weigang;
Abigail Weigang
1
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Maine
, 5737 Jenness Hall, Orono, Maine 04469
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Liza R. White;
Liza R. White
1
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Maine
, 5737 Jenness Hall, Orono, Maine 04469
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Emily J. LeClair;
Emily J. LeClair
1
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Maine
, 5737 Jenness Hall, Orono, Maine 04469
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Alexander Collins;
Alexander Collins
1
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Maine
, 5737 Jenness Hall, Orono, Maine 04469
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Caitlin Howell
Caitlin Howell
a)
1
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Maine
, 5737 Jenness Hall, Orono, Maine 044692
Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine
, 42 Stodder Hall, Orono, Maine 04469
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a)
Electronic mail: caitlin.howell@maine.edu
Note: This paper is part of the Special Topic Collection on Early Career Investigators.
Biointerphases 14, 041005 (2019)
Article history
Received:
June 11 2019
Accepted:
July 30 2019
Citation
Daniel P. Regan, Chloe Lilly, Abigail Weigang, Liza R. White, Emily J. LeClair, Alexander Collins, Caitlin Howell; Combining the geometry of folded paper with liquid-infused polymer surfaces to concentrate and localize bacterial solutions. Biointerphases 1 July 2019; 14 (4): 041005. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.5114804
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