Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Bioengineering

Preparation of Light-responsive Membranes by a Combined Surface Grafting and Postmodification Process

Katrin Schöller¹, Lukas Baumann¹, Dirk Hegemann², Damien De Courten³, Martin Wolf³, René M. Rossi¹, Lukas J. Scherer¹

¹Laboratory for Protection and Physiology, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, ²Laboratory of Advanced Fibers, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, ³Division of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich

A plasma-induced polymerization procedure is described for the surface-initiated polymerization on polymer membranes. Further postmodification of the grafted polymer with photochromic substances is presented with a protocol of conducting permeability measurements of light-responsive membranes.

Chemistry

Supercritical Nitrogen Processing for the Purification of Reactive Porous Materials

Nicholas P. Stadie¹, Elsa Callini¹, Philippe Mauron¹, Andreas Borgschulte¹, Andreas Züttel¹

¹Hydrogen and Energy Laboratory, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Nitrogen is an effective supercritical fluid for extraction or drying processes due to its small molecular size, high density in the near-liquid supercritical regime, and chemical inertness. We present a supercritical nitrogen drying protocol for the purification treatment of reactive, porous materials.

Chemistry

Microfluidic Pneumatic Cages: A Novel Approach for In-chip Crystal Trapping, Manipulation and Controlled Chemical Treatment

Afshin Abrishamkar^1,2, Markos Paradinas³, Elena Bailo⁴, Romen Rodriguez-Trujillo⁵, Raphael Pfattner⁵, René M. Rossi¹, Carmen Ocal⁵, Andrew J. deMello², David B. Amabilino⁶, Josep Puigmartí-Luis¹

¹Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, ²Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Bioscience, ETH Zurich, ³ICN2-Institut Catala de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia, ⁴WITec GmbH, ⁵Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, ⁶School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham

Herein, we describe the fabrication and operation of a double-layer microfluidic system made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). We demonstrate the potential of this device for trapping, directing the coordination pathway of a crystalline molecular material and controlling chemical reactions onto on-chip trapped structures.