Plasma surface modification of cyclo-olefin polymers and its application to lateral flow bioassays

The modification of cyclo-olefin polymer Zeonor by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to form a silica-like surface and evaluation of its application for lateral flow bioassays applications are discussed in this study. The SiO layer was extensively characterized using contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total internal reflectance mode where the presence of a uniform SiO film was clearly identified. The SiO modification resulted in a surface with enhanced wettability and excellent fluidic properties when combined with a hot-embossed micropillar capillary fill-based substrate. The SiO surface also had the ability to accelerate the clotting of human plasma, which may have application in certain types of blood coagulation assays.