To prepare the flow cell, cut the biotin peg cover slip in half. Prepare small glass pieces by etching and snapping a glass slide into approximately 2.4 centimeters by one centimeter pieces. Using a 0.8 millimeter diamond-coated drill bit, drill two holes, 1.4 millimeters apart, in the glass pieces.
Test the holes by inserting inlet or outlet tubing. Cut double-sided tape the same shape as the glass pieces. Align the slide on the tape and stab a needle through each hole to mark their positions on the tape.
Using a razor blade, cut a channel that encompasses both holes. Clean the glass piece with acetone. Dry the glass piece with tissue paper and place it on a clean surface.
Then peel off one side of the adhesive tape and stick it onto the glass piece so that both holes are fully inside the channel. Using a P1000 pipette tip, apply firm pressure on the tape to seal the tape to the glass piece. Peel the second side of the tape of both glass pieces.
Arrange the slides on a clean surface with the sticky side facing up. Using plastic tweezers, pick up the half biotin peg cover slip by the edge and lower the peg functionalized side onto the adhesive. Press down the cover slip with a finger to secure it in place.
Rub the cover slip surface using a pipette tip with moderate pressure to remove air bubbles. And then flip over the flow cell. For each flow cell, cut approximately 10 centimeters of polyethylene 20 and 60 tubing.
Cut the tubing tip at an angle less than 45 degrees, and insert the tubing into the holes in the slide. If the whole diameter is correct, the tubing stands up in the hole on its own. Mix the epoxy components well.
Use a P200 pipette tip to dab epoxy around the tubing and each glass piece. Allow the epoxy to cure for 30 to 60 minutes.
