Combining the geometry of folded paper with liquid-infused polymer surfaces to concentrate and localize bacterial solutions

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.