Fabrication of Nafion-Based Micro-Membranes for Micro-Chemical Systems

微型设备已经成为我们日常生活中不可或缺的一部分，并参与了智能手机或喷墨打印机等多种技术。另一项即将到来的微技术是所谓的芯片实验室(LOC)。理想的LOC是一种在仅几平方厘米大小的单个芯片上集成多种化学和生物实验室功能的设备。一个典型的应用可能是测定糖尿病患者的血液中的胰岛素含量。LOC概念具有几个优点，如降低制造和维护成本、提高性能和减少浪费。 目前的研究计划提出了开发新型微膜，这种微膜可以很容易地集成到这样的芯片实验室中。这些微膜对小阳离子是透过性的，但对负离子和其他物种是不透过性的。此外，这些膜具有催化特性，即它们促进了某些化学反应。最终，这种新型的微膜将允许在芯片实验室中实现多种电化学和化学过程，所产生的新技术可以被用于开发用于医疗应用的LOC。这种用于便携式医疗诊断的微型设备将使加拿大的医疗系统直接受益，因为它为患者提供了负担得起的、容易获得的定期测试，这些测试可以在家里的隐私中进行。此外，这项研究还将通过培训高素质的工程师和科学家，帮助扩大加拿大的“高科技”工作。

Micro devices have become an essential part of our daily life and are engaged in a multitude of technologies such as smart phones or inkjet printers. A further upcoming micro technology is the so-called Lab-on-Chip (LOC). An ideal LOC is a device that integrates a multitude of chemical and biological laboratory functions on a single chip of only few square centimetres in size. A typical application could be the determination of blood's insulin content of a diabetic person. The LOC concept features several advantages such as reduced fabrication and maintenance costs, improved performance, and also less waste. The current research program proposes the development of novel micro membranes which can be easily integrated in such Lab-on-Chips. These micro membranes are permeable for small positive ions but impermeable for negative ions and other species. Additionally, these membranes have catalytic properties; that is, they facilitate certain chemical reactions. Eventually, such novel micro membranes would allow for the realization of a multitude of electrochemical and chemical processes in Lab-on-Chips and the novel technology generated can be adopted in the development of LOCs for medical applications. Such micro devices for portable medical diagnostics would directly benefit the Canadian healthcare system by providing patients with affordable and easy access to regular testing that can be carried out in the privacy of a home. Also, the research will assist in the expansion of `high tech' jobs in Canada through the training of highly qualified engineers and scientists.