Wettability-based ultrasensitive detection of amphiphiles through directed concentration at disordered regions in self-assembled monolayers.

ABSTRACT: Various forms of ecological monitoring and disease diagnosis rely upon the detection of amphiphiles, including lipids, lipopolysaccharides, and lipoproteins, at ultralow concentrations in small droplets. Although assays based on droplets' wettability provide promising options in some cases, their reliance on the measurements of surface and bulk properties of whole droplets (e.g., contact angles, surface tensions) makes it difficult to monitor trace amounts of these amphiphiles within small-volume samples. Here, we report a design principle in which self-assembled monolayer-functionalized microstructured surfaces coated with silicone oil create locally disordered regions within a droplet's contact lines to effectively concentrate amphiphiles within the areas that dominate the droplet static

SUBMITTER: Yao Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9618133 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature