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Is there a simple (that is one that requires few and not very exotic reagents) chemical reaction to "activate" or "functionalize" the polystyrene of a simple microtitre plate?

In other words, I would like to add carboxyl groups to the surface of a common ELISA plate to then use ethyl-carbodiimide hydrochloride and N-hydroxysuccinimide to immobilize a target on the bottom of the well.

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It is certainly possible to nitrate polystyrene powder with nitric & sulfuric acid mixture and reduce the nitro groups to aniline with $\ce{SnCl2/HCl}$ as described in here1. How effective this would be for a microtitre plate I cannot say, but chemistry is an experimental subject.

Reference

  1. Zhao, H. & Guo, J. & Bian, L. & Wei, Z. & Deng, K.. (2009). Synthesis of nitro and amino linear polystyrene. Hecheng Shuzhi Ji Suliao/China Synthetic Resin and Plastics. 26. 22-26. (link)
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