Integrated thin-film polymer/fullerene photodetectors for on-chip microfluidic chemiluminescence detection

Lab Chip. 2007 Jan;7(1):58-63. doi: 10.1039/b611067c. Epub 2006 Oct 17.

Abstract

We report the use of solution-processed thin-film organic photodiodes for microscale chemiluminescence. The active layer of the photodiodes comprised a 1 : 1 blend by weight of the conjugated polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) [P3HT] and [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid-methylester [PCBM]--a soluble derivative of C(60). The devices had an active area of 1 mm x 1 mm, and a broad-band response from 350 to 700 nm, with an external quantum efficiency of more than 50% between 450 and 550 nm. The photodiodes have a simple layered structure that permits facile integration with planar chip-based systems. To evaluate the suitability of the organic devices as integrated detectors for microscale chemiluminescence, a peroxyoxalate based chemiluminescence reaction (PO-CL) was monitored within a poly(dimethyl-siloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic device. Quantitation of hydrogen peroxide indicated excellent linearity and yielded a detection limit of 10 microM, comparable with previously reported results using micromachined silicon microfluidic chips with integrated silicon photodiodes. The combination of organic photodiodes with PDMS microfluidic chips offers a means of creating compact, sensitive and potentially low-cost microscale CL devices with wide-ranging applications in chemical and biological analysis and clinical diagnostics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes / chemistry*
  • Equipment Design
  • Fullerenes / chemistry*
  • Luminescent Measurements* / instrumentation
  • Luminescent Measurements* / methods
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques* / instrumentation
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques* / methods
  • Photochemistry
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Silicones / chemistry*
  • Thiophenes / chemistry*

Substances

  • Dimethylpolysiloxanes
  • Fullerenes
  • Silicones
  • Thiophenes
  • poly(3-hexylthiophene)
  • baysilon