Abstract
A non-invasive, low-cost, and easy-to-fabricate tool utilizes a cantilever for characterizing the flow rate in paper microfluidic systems. The microfluidic device is placed on the end of the cantilever, and the change in mass as fluid flows into the microfluidic device deflects the cantilever. Deflection distance over time is converted to flow rate using a microcontroller and custom software. The cantilever setup with the geometric dimensions and material properties described herein is capable of measuring flow rates within the range of 0–1400 μl min−1. To demonstrate the utility of this cantilever measurement system, flow rates were measured for passive pumps that are made of porous filter paper. The measured flow rates generated by the paper pumps were found to be in good agreement with data previously obtained for the same pumps using a more complicated and less accurate measurement approach.
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