11-05 :: May/June 2011

nanotimes News in Brief

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Colored water is used to show how liquid wicks along tiny channels formed in paper using a laser, in research to develop a new technology for medical diagnostics and chemical analysis. Silica microparticles were deposited on patterned areas, allowing liquid to diffuse from one end of a channel to the other.

© Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University

“Since the hydrophobic agent is already present throughout the thickness of the paper, our method creates islands of hydrophilic patterns,” Ziaie said. “This modified surface has a highly porous structure, which helps to trap and localize chemical and bio-

logical aqueous reagents for analysis. Furthermore, we‘ve selectively deposited silica microparticles on patterned areas to allow diffusion from one end of a channel to the other.”