Graphene-based microfluidics for serial crystallography. Issue 16 (31st May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sui, Shuo; Wang, Yuxi; Kolewe, Kristopher W.; Srajer, Vukica; Henning, Robert; Schiffman, Jessica D.; Dimitrakopoulos, Christos; Perry, Sarah L.
• Is Part Of: Lab on a chip. Volume 16:Issue 16(2016)
• Page Start: 3082
• Page End: 3096
• Publication Date: 2016-05-31
• Subjects: Miniature electronic equipment -- Periodicals; Combinatorial chemistry -- Periodicals; Biotechnology -- Periodicals; 543.0813
• DOI: 10.1039/c6lc00451b
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1473-0197

Abstract

Abstract : A robust strategy for the incorporation of graphene films as a diffusion barrier in ultra-thin X-ray compatible microfluidic devices. Abstract : Microfluidic strategies to enable the growth and subsequent serial crystallographic analysis of micro-crystals have the potential to facilitate both structural characterization and dynamic structural studies of protein targets that have been resistant to single-crystal strategies. However, adapting microfluidic crystallization platforms for micro-crystallography requires a dramatic decrease in the overall device thickness. We report a robust strategy for the straightforward incorporation of single-layer graphene into ultra-thin microfluidic devices. This architecture allows for a total material thickness of only ∼1 μm, facilitating on-chip X-ray diffraction analysis while creating a sample environment that is stable against significant water loss over several weeks. We demonstrate excellent signal-to-noise in our X-ray diffraction measurements using a 1.5 μs polychromatic X-ray exposure, and validate our approach via on-chip structure determination using hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) as a model system. Although this work is focused on the use of graphene for protein crystallography, we anticipate that this technology should find utility in a wide range of both X-ray and other lab on a chip applications.