Microfluidic Chips: Thermoplastic Material Cyclic olefin polymer COP

Cyclic olefin polymer COP is an amorphous polyolefin with a cyclic structure in the main chain.

The following figure shows the polymerization scheme and polymer structures:

COP general synthesis process

According to it, COP is polymerized by Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerization of norbornene derivatives, followed by hydrogenation of double bonds that provides more stability in terms of heat and weather resistance.

Compared to other thermoplastics such as PP, PC, PS and LDPE, COP provides significantly improved moisture and vapor barrier properties

Water absorption values for some polymers widely used in microfluidics

COP is a glass-like & UV transparent polymer, which exhibits excellent optical properties and performances which enable to get a higher optical signal quality for small complex parts, increase resolution and lower detection limits in fluorescence spectroscopy, as well as to get a high dimensional stability under a harsh and humid environment. This material exhibits high transparency (92% light transmittance).

COP offers extremely low fluorescence across the excitation/emission spectrum and has been proven to increase resolution and lower detection limits in fluorescence spectroscopy for in vitro and in vivo imaging.
COP absorbs virtually no moisture and shows no dimensional changes even under conditions of high temperature and humidity. Thanks to its low water absorption, the refractive index of COP remains constant after exposure to humid environments.