CHROMATOGRAPHY APPARATUS HAVING DIFFUSION-BONDED AND SURFACE-MODIFIED COMPONENTS

摘要

A microfluidic device for separating a sample by chromatography includes diffusion bonded metallic sheets joined together to create a hermetically sealed interface between each adjacent metallic sheet without the introduction of a secondary material. Enclosed within the diffusion bonded sheets is a separation channel accessible by at least one of an inlet or an outlet. The separation channel is packed with micrometer-sized particles serving as a stationary phase in a chromatographic separation. Wetted surfaces of the separation channel include a coating of an organic material at least one monolayer thick.

主权项

1. A diffusion-bonded product manufactured comprising the steps of:
supplying two or more substantially compositionally similar metal sheets with each having a flat major surface with no layer thereon to promote bonding; at least one of the two or more metal sheets including at least a portion of a microfluidic channel disposed therein; bringing the flat major surface of each of the two or more metal sheets into a contacting relationship with at least one of the two or more sheets thereby forming an interface and forming and enclosing the microfluidic channel at the interface between such sheets, the microfluidic channel having at least one entrance port and at least one exit port; heating the contacting sheets in a vacuum furnace or an inert-atmosphere furnace to a temperature substantially below melting temperature of such sheets; urging the contacting sheets together under a compressive stress while the sheets are being heated to bond the sheets together by causing grains of the two or more metal sheets to merge across the interface from one sheet to the other sheet; cooling the bonded two or more sheets to about room temperature; and applying at least an organic coating to the microfluidic channel enclosed between the bonded two or more sheets through at least one of the at least one entrance port or the at least one exit port.