Doping of a dielectric layer as a new alternative for increasing sensitivity of the contactless conductivity detection in microchips.

This communication describes a new procedure to increase the sensitivity of C(4)D in PDMS/glass microchips. The method consists in doping the insulating layer (PDMS) over the electrodes with nanoparticles of TiO(2), increasing thus its dielectric constant. The experimental protocol is simple, inexpensive, and fast.