Electro-osmotic flow control in microchannels produced by scanning excimer laser ablation

Excimer laser ablation of a scanned substrate can be used for prototyping of lab-on-a-chip microfluidic channels [1]. Here, the relationship between the wetting properties of the channels and the irradiation conditions is described. The wetting properties are quantified by electro-osmotic flow measurements in channels, produced with different conditions of scanning ablation. The observed variations can be explained in terms of a competition between a direct and an indirect redeposition pathway for the debris.