Abstract
In this report, we propose a microfluidic device made of fused silica substrates and an optimized assay procedure for the device to reconstruct a motor protein system. The fabricated device is created using photolithography methods and bonding techniques to realize a minimum channel size of 4 µm in width and 2 µm in depth. The glass bonding process achieves good reproducibility by optimizing substrate cleaning processes, coating conditions, and the concentration of the sodium silicate solution. The assay sequence required to realize microtubule gliding in the channel without losing protein functionality is optimized to allow manipulation of the microtubule by applying an electric field. The average curvature of the microtubule trajectory is measured at 5.7±2.8 µm (N=3) at an electric field of 5 kV/m. The proposed device might have applications in micro total analysis systems.
