June, 2018


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Page 29 Plasma Treatment Adding Value to Plastic Labware Continued from previous page


can be detected by a secondary anti- body that is linked to an enzyme through bioconjugation. In a final step, the plate is de-


veloped by adding an enzymatic sub- strate to produce a visible signal, which indicates the quantity of anti- gen in the sample.


drophobic coating on the inside and out of the pipette tip. The company has already de-


signed special trays and fixtures ca- pable of treating entire racks for 96 and 384 well microtiter plates. The process utilizes pulses of plasma that activate a specific monomer, causing it to diffuse and polymerize within the pipette tip.


R&D Assistance According to Barden, plasma


treatment is common enough that leading equipment providers are able to modify existing, mature tools and technology, complete with fixturing, to deliver what are essentially drop- in solutions.


Some providers even provide ac-


cess to onsite research and develop- ment equipment, as well as engineer-


Plasma treatment is common enough that leading equip- ment providers are able to


modify existing, mature tools and technology,


complete with fixturing, to


deliver what are essentially drop-in solutions.


ing expertise. PVA TePla, for exam- ple, often invites labware manufac- turers to visit its lab in Corona, Cali- fornia. The purpose of these visits is


to run parts and conduct experi- ments on in-house equipment, with full customer involvement. It is dur- ing these technical customer and supplier meetings that many of the best experimental matrices and ideas are produced. “The elegance of these solutions


is that they leverage existing tech- nology and know-how, as opposed to creating something that is complete- ly new,” says Barden. “Access to this knowledge base facilitates new en- trants into the market.” Contact: PVA TePla America,


Inc., 251 Corporate Terrace, Corona, CA 92879 % 951-371-2500 fax: 951-371-9792 Web: www.pvateplaamerica.com r


The PVA process uses pulses of plasma that activate a specific monomer, causing it to diffuse and polymerize within pipette tips.


To improve the bond and func-


tion of the antibody, plasma coatings can be applied to orient the Y-shaped IgG proteins utilized in the majority of these types of tests. Failure to do so can mean some antibodies face down or deform and become essentially un- available for bonding with antigens. “With most uncoated polymer


surfaces you can’t control how the Y- shaped ‘capture’ antibodies are orient- ed,” says Barden. “However, a func- tional coating can be used to favor the proper upward orientation so the en- tire surface is available for the assay. In this way, we can improve the sig- nal-to-noise and dynamic range of an assay.” For this, applying an amine coating is a popular solution. “Amine coatings are commonly


used because they have a middle sur- face energy, with water contact an- gles of approximately 60 degrees,” says Barden. “So the coating is hy- drophilic enough that the liquid dis- perses well and hydrophobic enough to facilitate bonding of the material.”


Pipette Tips Pipettes are another common


laboratory tool. Often constructed of high-density polyethylene or polypro - pylene that tends to be hydrophobic, pipettes can still have difficulties with liquids sticking to the surface — par- ticularly on, or around, the tip. To address this issue, some


pipette manufacturers add fluorinat- ed polymers within the polypropy- lene during the injection molding process. However, there can still be issues, such as phase separation or leaching. To ensure pipette tips “sheet” off any aqueous solution more effectively, companies like PVA TePla can utilize nanotechnology to create a superhydrophobic surface. One such technique involves


etching the surface to roughen it such that air, nitrogen, oxygen and other gases are trapped in the recess- es, allowing the liquid to float on the top in a “lotus affect.” Another method involves applying a more hy-


See at SMT/Hybrid Pkg, Booth 4A-458


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