Quantification of Hydrophobic Recovery and Temporal Bonding in Polydimethylsiloxane

Abstract

Polydimethylsiloxane is used ubiquitously in micro fluidics both as a mold and as a device in and of itself due to the polymer's distinct physical and chemical properties. This elastomer is intrinsically hydrophobic due to the methyl group that is a part of its chemical backbone. Hydrophilicity is induced by plasma activation but is short lived as this elastomer regains its hydrophobic nature as uncrosslinked PDMS chains start to reorient back to the surface. Quantifying the bonding time frame will prove invaluable for any and all research applications that revolve around PDMS.