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Spatial, spectral, radiometric, and temporal analysis of polymer-modified paper substrates using fluorescence microscopy

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Abstract

Optical microscopy has long been recognized as a method to characterize the heterogeneous and complex structure of paper. With fluorescence detection, the functionality has even been extended to provide chemical selectivity, e.g. to determine the distribution of secondary modifications like coatings and fillers throughout a sheet of paper. The full spectrum of capabilities offered by fluorescence microscopy, which is able to deliver information with high spatial, spectral, radiometric, and temporal resolution simultaneously and non-destructively, however has yet to be exploited. With paper more and more coming into focus as a versatile platform for the development of functional devices, static structural and compositional information is no longer sufficient to describe the properties of these systems. Rather, a likewise versatile method is required that delivers spatially resolved, quantitative, sensitive, and, most importantly, also dynamic measurements. Here we show that quantitative widefield and confocal fluorescence microscopy are able to meet this set of demands. In a proof of concept analysis on PMMA-modified microfluidic paper substrates, we exploit all four types of resolution provided by fluorescence microscopy, by analyzing the distribution of rhodamine labeled polymer in relation to calcofluor white labeled cellulose fibres with high selectivity and spatial resolution and by imaging the static and dynamic distribution of a FITC labeled dextran solution inside the polymer coated fibre network.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by a research fellowship to S.B. of the Hessian excellence initiative LOEWE within the cluster SOFTCONTROL and a research fellowship to A.B. from the Excellency Cluster ‘‘Center of Smart Interfaces, CSI’’. Their financial support is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Membrane Dynamics, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 3-5, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Steven Bump, Laura Babel & Tobias Meckel

  2. Macromolecular Chemistry and Paper Chemistry, Ernst-Berl-Institute for Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Straße 8, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Alexander Böhm, Sonja Wendenburg & Markus Biesalski

  3. Center of Smart Interfaces (CSI), Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Straße 10, 64287, Darmstadt, Germany

    Alexander Böhm & Markus Biesalski

  4. Laboratory of Paper Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Alexanderstraße 8, 64283, Darmstadt, Germany

    Franz Carstens & Samuel Schabel

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  1. Steven Bump
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Online Resource 4

Widefield video of FITC-Dextran solution transport. The transport of a FITC-Dextran solution was recorded with an image acquisition speed of 30 Hz. The video is shown in real time and 2731 frames were recorded with a 4x objective (NA 0.13). The FITC-Dextran solution filled the entire field of view after 91 s. At this point recording was terminated (MP4 24299 kb)

Online Resource 5

Confocal video of FITC-Dextran solution transport. The transport of a FITC-Dextran solution was recorded with an image acquisition speed of 1 Hz. The video plays at a frame rate of 10 Hz and 116 frames were recorded with a 20x objective (NA 0.7). The FITC-Dextran solution filled the entire field of view after 116 s. At this point recording was terminated (MP4 21417 kb)

Online Resource 6

Widefield video of fluid transport within a paper based micro-channel. The transport of a FITC-Dextran solution was recorded with an image acquisition speed of 30 Hz. The video is shown in real time and 1100 frames were recorded with a 4x objective (NA 0.13). The FITC-Dextran solution filled the visible part of the micro-channel after 33 s. At this point recording was terminated (MP4 19802 kb)

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Bump, S., Böhm, A., Babel, L. et al. Spatial, spectral, radiometric, and temporal analysis of polymer-modified paper substrates using fluorescence microscopy. Cellulose 22, 73–88 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-014-0499-5

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