Abstract
Portability and low-cost analytic ability are desirable for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics; however, current POC testing platforms often require time-consuming multiple microfabrication steps and rely on bulky and costly equipment. This hinders the capability of microfluidics to prove its power outside of laboratories and narrows the range of applications. This paper details a self-contained microfluidic device, which does not require any external connection or tubing to deliver insert-and-use image-based analysis. Without any microfabrication, magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) microactuators including pumps, mixers and valves are integrated into one modular microfluidic chip based on novel manipulation principles. By inserting the chip into the driving and controlling platform, the system demonstrates sample preparation and sequential pumping processes. Furthermore, due to the straightforward fabrication process, chips can be rapidly reconfigured at a low cost, which validates the robustness and versatility of an MRE-enabled microfluidic platform as an option for developing an integrated lab-on-a-chip system.
Highlights
Microfluidics is a systematic science and technology that is able to accurately manipulate and control small-scale amounts of fluids and particles at micron and submicron dimensions [1]
In order to accomplish liquid manipulation in small scale, bulky and expensive instruments such as syringe pumps and centrifuges are necessary, which prevent unleashing the unparalleled potential of microfluidic systems
The magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) micropump was able to be actuated by a number of rotating magnets, as shown in Figure 1a and Video S1
Summary
Microfluidics is a systematic science and technology that is able to accurately manipulate and control small-scale amounts of fluids and particles at micron and submicron dimensions [1]. In order to accomplish liquid manipulation in small scale, bulky and expensive instruments such as syringe pumps and centrifuges are necessary, which prevent unleashing the unparalleled potential of microfluidic systems. To overcome this restriction, numerous attempts have been made to develop a self-contained microfluidic system, which integrates functional microactuators and control module into a miniaturised system for performing a total analytical process on a microfluidic chip [5,6,7,8].
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