Surface Treatments

Plasma Treatment

• Modifies surface energy to increase hydrophilicity

• Commonly used for PDMS, glass, PMMA

• Improves bonding, wettability, and fluid flow

UV / Ozone Treatment

• Introduces oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface

• Enhances hydrophilicity and surface reactivity

• Suitable for polymers and glass

Chemical Surface Modification

• Acid/base treatment or oxidation to introduce functional groups (–OH, –COOH)

• Improves wettability and biomolecule attachment

• Often used for glass and silicon

Silanization

• Uses silane molecules to tailor surface properties

• Can create hydrophobic or functionalized surfaces

• Widely used for flow control and anti-fouling

Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs)

• Forms an ordered molecular layer on the surface

• Enables precise control of hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, and bio-functionality

• Used in biosensors and cell-based chips

Surface Coating

• Polymer or bio-coatings (e.g., PEG coatings)

• Reduces nonspecific adsorption and improves biocompatibility