Abstract
Recently, smartphone-based chromogenic sensing with paper-based microfluidic technology has played an increasingly important role in biochemical assays. However, generally there were three defects: (i) the paper-based chips still required complicated fabrication, and the hydrophobic boundaries on the chips were not clear enough; (ii) the chromogenic signals could not be steadily captured; (iii) the smartphone apps were restricted to the detection of specific target analytes and could not be extended for different assays unless reprogrammed. To solve these problems, in this study, a portable smartphone-based sensing system with a 3D-printed chip was developed. A 3D-printed imaging platform was designed to significantly reduce sensing errors generated during signal capture, and a brand-new strategy for signal processing in downloadable apps was established. As a proof-of-concept, the system was applied for detection of organophosphorus pesticides and multi-assay of fruit juice, showing excellent sensing performance. For different target analytes, the most efficient color channel could be selected for signal analysis, and the calibration equation could be directly set in user interface rather than programming environment, thus the developed system could be flexibly extended for other biochemical assays. Consequently, this study provides a novel methodology for smartphone-based biochemical sensing.
Highlights
In the past several years, biochemical assays with point-of-care devices have attracted enormous attentions because they provide great convenience in the fields of medicine diagnosis, food safety, drug detection, environment monitoring, and forensic analysis
A brand-new strategy for signal processing in downloadable smartphone apps was established. With this strategy, the most efficient color channel could be selected for signal analysis, and the calibration equation could be directly set in user interface rather than programming environment, the developed system could be flexibly extended for different biochemical assays
Cellulose is a polysaccharide composed of β linked D-glucose units with the formula (C6 H10 O5 )n, and it is able to generate flow by spontaneous capillary force
Summary
In the past several years, biochemical assays with point-of-care devices have attracted enormous attentions because they provide great convenience in the fields of medicine diagnosis, food safety, drug detection, environment monitoring, and forensic analysis. The ubiquitous application of smartphones among almost people of all ages and income levels offers an opportunity for the development of mobile-detection systems. Smartphone-based sensing systems have played increasingly important roles in biochemical assays [1]. Among the various sensing signals, chromogenic signals have been broadly utilized for smartphone-based sensing systems [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. In a recent report on determination of urinary albumin by Mathaweesansurn et al [3], the sample and a standard colorimetric strip were simultaneously captured in a single shot by a smartphone, and the printed reference colors on the standard colorimetric strip could represent the standard solutions to establish the calibration equation for every measurement. An Android app termed “Albumin smart test” was designed, and three frames displayed in the user interface of the app were employed for Sensors 2018, 18, 4002; doi:10.3390/s18114002 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors
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