The EMμ project’s focus is ultimately, the development of an electroactive monolith that can be incorporated into a microfluidic system for electroanalytical applications such as sensing and electrochemically-controlled extractions and separations. To date our have made several significant advances to achieving this end goal. Firstly a facile fabrication method which allows for the production of fully disposable, gasket–free thin–layer cells suitable for EMμ was developed. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)–glass μchip, configured to house an electrochemical thin–layer flow cell is being used to electrochemically polymerise polyaniline (PANI) monoliths on-chip1. The feasibility of integrating macro–dimensioned, working electrodes into microfluidic channels being a critical first step of the EMμ project. This platform has been used for amperometric detection of ascorbic acid.
Simultaneously inverse opal monolithic flow-through structures of conducting polymer have been achieved in microfluidic channels via the fabrication of polystyrene (PS) colloidal crystal templates and the subsequent electrochemical or chemical polymerisation of the polymer2.
Currently the focus of EMμ is to build on the significant advances to date, to demonstrate electrochemically-responsive chromatography on μchip which will provide many
advantages over solvent gradient-controlled chromatography. To achieve this, high back pressures on chip will be required and thus work to fabricate mechanically robust monoliths from electroactive conducting polymer is necessary. This is currently being examined via compositing with methacrylates which are an existing stationary phase polymer monolith material.