Surface treatment of microplates is crucial for the accuracy and reproducibility of experimental results. Common surface treatments include hydrophilic and hydrophobic options. Hydrophilic treatment enhances the surface's affinity for water, facilitating liquid spreading within the wells, minimizing bubble formation, and improving pipetting accuracy; this method is frequently employed in experiments requiring liquid dispensing and mixing, such as ELISA and cell culture. Conversely, hydrophobic treatment reduces liquid retention on well walls and prevents cross-contamination between samples, thereby enhancing experimental accuracy; this approach is commonly used in procedures involving washing and rinsing steps, such as immunohistochemistry.
Additionally, some microplates undergo specialized surface treatments-such as the covalent bonding of biomolecules like proteins or antibodies-to increase their adsorption capacity for specific biomolecules, thereby improving experimental sensitivity and specificity.
