An Off-Stoichiometry Thiol-Ene (OSTE) Microfluidic Chip for Storage of Nanoliter Liquid Sample

This work presents a cost-effective, biocompatible, and vaporization-resistant method for storage of nanoliter liquid sample using an off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE) microfluidic chip. This work tries to solve the limitations of current storage methods, such as sensitivity to humidity and temperature. By utilizing photo lithography, we fabricate small wells in OSTE to hold the liquid samples and seal them with an ultra-thin OSTE layer. Release of the stored sample is achieved via punching by a capillary tube. We can achieve storage and release of liquid sample with volume down to ~14 nL. This protocol for liquid storage is very promising to find applications in point-of-care diagnostics.