Programmable fluid transport on photolithographically micropatterned cloth devices: Towards the development of facile, multifunctional colorimetric diagnostic platforms

Abstract

In this work, a novel strategy to construct coin-sized, multifunctional micropatterned cloth devices (μPCDs) based on programmable fluid transport has been reported for the first time. A photolithography technique is used to fabricate μPCDs that operate as simple disposable colorimetric sensors. This fabrication method allows hydrophobic barriers to be well integrated onto the cloth channels to form programmable cloth-based diagnostic devices. In the present study, several different programmable μPCDs were designed and fabricated, including basic μPCDs, μPCDs with parallel or serial fluidic paths, and μPCDs with serial-parallel fluidic paths. The fluid transport in the resulting μPCDs was programmed to provide qualitative or quantitative analyses. The μPCDs with serial-parallel fluidic paths were used as prototypes for qualitative detection of glucose concentration, pH, and protein concentration in artificial urine (AU) samples. Moreover, a single cloth-based device could be programmed for sequential reaction processes, and the quantitative detection of nickel(II) ions in water, nitrite ions in AU, and glucose in AU by two-step enzymatic reactions was achieved. The results indicate that the developed programmable μPCDs can provide a new sensing platform for other biochemical assays.