Which thermoplastic is most chemically resistant for microfluidics?

COC (cyclic olefin copolymer) and COP (cyclic olefin polymer) are the most chemically resistant of the standard microfluidic thermoplastics. They tolerate DMSO, isopropanol, strong acids, and strong bases that attack PMMA, PC, or PS, while also having very low auto-fluorescence — making them the default choice for any workflow that combines harsh solvents with fluorescence imaging.

Can I autoclave a microfluidic chip?

Only COC and COP tolerate wet-steam autoclaving (121 °C). PMMA, PS, and PC will deform at autoclave temperatures and should be sterilized by 70% ethanol wipe, gamma irradiation, or ethylene oxide instead. The Material Compatibility Assistant flags non-autoclavable materials automatically.

Why is PMMA a bad choice for organic-solvent workflows?

PMMA is attacked by acetone, dichloromethane, toluene, DMSO, and high-percentage alcohols. These solvents craze, swell, or fully dissolve PMMA chips. PMMA is fine for aqueous buffers, dilute ethanol (≤70%), and fluorinated oils — but for any organic phase, switch to COC or COP.

What is auto-fluorescence and why does it matter?

Auto-fluorescence is the background light a polymer emits when excited by your imaging laser. PMMA, PC, and PS auto-fluoresce strongly in the blue-green range, washing out weak signals. COC and COP have ~10× lower auto-fluorescence and are the standard for single-molecule, super-resolution, and quantitative confocal work.

Is the scoring deterministic?

Yes. The compatibility table is a static lookup compiled from published thermoplastic chemical resistance datasheets (TOPAS COC, generic PMMA/PC/PS/COP). Score = sum of solvent / temperature / sterilization / imaging contributions, clamped to 0–10. The same inputs always produce the same ranking.

Does my data leave my browser?

No. The compatibility matrix and scoring run entirely in your browser. No selections are sent to any server.

Free Microfluidic Material & Chemical Compatibility Assistant

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Top recommendation

COC — Cyclic Olefin Copolymer

Score 10/10 — Low auto-fluorescence — well-suited to fluorescence and confocal imaging.

Material	Score	Solvents	Temp	Sterilization	Imaging	Notes
COC	10	Good	✓ ≤ 130 °C	✓	low auto-fluor	Low auto-fluorescence — well-suited to fluorescence and confocal imaging.
COP	10	Good	✓ ≤ 130 °C	✓	low auto-fluor	Low auto-fluorescence — well-suited to fluorescence and confocal imaging.
PS	9	Good	✓ ≤ 80 °C	✓	medium auto-fluor	—
PMMA	7	Good	✓ ≤ 70 °C	✓	high auto-fluor	High auto-fluorescence — drowns out weak fluorescence signals.
PC	7	Good	✓ ≤ 120 °C	✓	high auto-fluor	High auto-fluorescence — drowns out weak fluorescence signals.

Methods paragraph (copy into your SOP)

COC — Cyclic Olefin Copolymer was selected as the chip substrate based on a deterministic compatibility scoring of PMMA, PC, PS, COC, and COP against the planned solvent panel (Water, PBS, Ethanol ≤ 70%), the operating temperature range 20–60 °C, 70% ethanol wipe, and fluorescence imaging. The scoring rubric (good +2 / limited +1 / bad −5; temperature ±2/−4; sterilization ±1/−3; imaging ±2) gave a final score of 10/10, the highest of the materials evaluated.

When to use

Selecting a microfluidic chip material before placing an order
Auditing an existing chip choice when adding a new solvent or reagent
Choosing between PMMA, PC, PS, COC, and COP for a new assay
Documenting material rationale in a methods section or SOP
Picking an autoclave-safe chip for a sterile workflow

Do not use for

For elastomer (PDMS, TPE) compatibility — those have separate datasheets
For glass or silicon chip selection
For surface-treated or coated chips (the coating, not the substrate, controls compatibility)
As a substitute for a vendor compatibility datasheet on novel solvents

COC and COP are nearly interchangeable

For most applications, COC (TOPAS) and COP (Zeonex/Zeonor) behave the same. Pick whichever is in stock from your supplier. The main practical differences show up in injection-molding ease and price.

PC is great for temperature, terrible for base

Polycarbonate handles 121 °C and most organic solvents reasonably well, but caustic NaOH wash steps will craze it within minutes. If your protocol includes a base wash, choose COC or COP.

Watch out for the autoclave + PMMA combination

PMMA softens at ~70 °C continuous use and warps in an autoclave. If your lab autoclaves chips by default, do not order PMMA. Use COC or COP, or switch to ethanol wipe sterilization.

Auto-fluorescence is wavelength-dependent

COC and COP have low auto-fluorescence in the visible range but rise sharply below 350 nm. UV excitation (e.g., DAPI, AMCA) still produces noticeable background. For UV imaging, fused-silica chips are the gold standard.

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Method

Score = sum of solvent (good +2 / limited +1 / bad −5), temperature (pass +2 / fail −4), sterilization (pass +1 / fail −3), and imaging (match +2 / mismatch −2) contributions. Final score clamped to 0–10. Compatibility data compiled from published thermoplastic chemical resistance datasheets (TOPAS COC, generic PMMA/PC/PS/COP).

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Validated

Last validated 2026-04-06. Calculations are designed for planning and documentation support; verify procurement decisions against manufacturer specifications or institutional SOPs.

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How to cite

How to Cite

ConductScience Microfluidic Material & Chemical Compatibility Assistant (v1.2.0). ConductScience, Inc. 2026. Available at: https://conductscience.com/tools/microfluidic-material-compatibility

Why Chip Material Matters

Microfluidic chip choice is not just about price. The wrong polymer can leach plasticizers into your sample, swell under organic solvents, soften at elevated temperature, or fluoresce so brightly that it drowns out the signal you are trying to measure.

The five workhorse polymers — PMMA, PC, PS, COC, and COP — span a wide range of chemical and optical properties. PMMA and PS are cheap and optically clear but chemically fragile. PC tolerates higher temperatures but cannot handle strong base. COC and COP cost more but handle the broadest chemistry, autoclave cleanly, and have the lowest auto-fluorescence.

Pick the polymer for the worst condition your workflow will see, not the average. A single DMSO wash can ruin a PMMA chip that performed flawlessly for months on aqueous buffer.

How the Score Is Computed

Each material starts at zero. For every solvent you select, the material gains +2 (good), +1 (limited), or −5 (bad) based on a static compatibility table compiled from published thermoplastic resistance data.

Temperature: +2 if the material withstands your maximum temperature, −4 if not.

Sterilization: +1 if the material survives your chosen method (autoclave, ethanol wipe, gamma, EtO), −3 if not.

Imaging: +2 for materials with low auto-fluorescence when you select fluorescence or confocal imaging, −2 for high-auto-fluorescence materials in those workflows.

The final score is clamped to 0–10. Materials with any "bad" solvent contact end up at the bottom of the table — even one disqualifying solvent should be enough to rule a material out.

When to Override the Recommendation

The matrix is a starting point, not a final answer. Three situations warrant manual override:

Brief contact only. If a "bad" solvent only contacts the chip for a few seconds (e.g., a quick DMSO rinse before flushing with water), a normally disqualified material may still work. The matrix is conservative — it assumes sustained contact.

Coated or surface-treated chips. A PMMA chip coated with PEG or parylene C inherits the coating's chemistry, not the substrate's. Override the score for the coating, not the bulk material.

Disposable single-use runs. If the chip is single-use and the experiment lasts under an hour, even a moderately incompatible material may be acceptable. Cost vs. risk.

Microfluidic Material & Chemical Compatibility.