Porous Structural Microfluidic Device for Biomedical Diagnosis: A Review

Abstract

Microfluidics has recently received more and more attention in applications such as biomedical, chemical and medicine. With the development of microelectronics technology as well as material science in recent years, microfluidic devices have made great progress. Porous structures as a discontinuous medium in which the special flow phenomena of fluids lead to their potential and special applications in microfluidics offer a unique way to develop completely new microfluidic chips. In this article, we firstly introduce the fabrication methods for porous structures of different materials. Then, the physical effects of microfluid flow in porous media and their related physical models are discussed. Finally, the state-of-the-art porous microfluidic chips and their applications in biomedicine are summarized, and we present the current problems and future directions in this field.

Keywords: biomedical; biosensor; microfluidic; porous structure.

Figure 5

(a) The paper-based immunosensor with a PDMS well; (b) Graphene paper-based platform for sweat glucose and lactate sensing. (a) Reproduced with permission. Ref. [181] Copyright 2017, Sensors (Basel). (b) Reproduced with permission. Ref. [189] Copyright 2018, Anal Biochem.

Figure 1

Illustration of the structure of this review. With the help of advanced material and theoretical modeling, the constantly advancing applications of porous microfluidic device for biomedical diagnosis. Reproduced with permission. Ref. [31] Copyright 2012, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. Reproduced with permission. Ref. [32] Copyright 2017, Advanced Functional Materials. Reproduced with permission. Ref. [33] Copyright 2017, Angewandte Chemie International Edition. Reproduced with permission. Ref. [34] Copyright 2019, Science Advances. Reproduced with permission. Ref. [35] Copyright 2011, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. Reproduced with permission. Ref. [36] Copyright 2019, Acta Biomater. Reproduced with permission. Ref. [37] Copyright 2016, Adv Mater. Reproduced with permission. Ref. [38] Copyright 2016, Adv Mater. Reproduced with permission. Ref. [39] Copyright 2012, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. Reproduced with permission. Copyright 2014, Anal Chem [40].

Figure 2

(a) Porous PDMS sponges and optical microscope images of various sugar particles; (b) Porous PDMS scaffolds and its fabrication process. (a) Reproduced with permission. Ref. [35] Copyright 2011, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. (b) Reproduced with permission. Ref. [36] Copyright 2019, Acta Biomater.

Figure 3

(a) Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices for colorimetric assays for E. coli BL21; (b) Photos and schematic diagram of the paper-based printed 3D circuit integrating electronics and microfluidics. (a) Reproduced with permission. Ref. [101] Copyright 2020, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. (b) Re-produced with permission. Ref. [37] Copyright 2016, Adv Mater.

Figure 4

(a) Photo of PETDOT:PSS-PAAm organogel stretch up to 200% strain; (b) Synthesis procedure of the electrically conductive PEDOT:PSS–PAAm organogels; (c) Schematic of the fabrication of a patterned fiber composite; (d) Macroscopic photographs of E-glass/x-PDMS and Kevlar-carbon fiber/x-PDMS. (a,b) Reproduced with permission. Ref. [38] Copyright 2016, Adv Mater. (c,d) Reproduced with permission. Ref. [39] Copyright 2012, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces.

Figure 6

(a) Filter process of the pristine filter and the functionalized filter; (b) microfluidic paper-based analytical device for toxic metals detection. (a) Reproduced with permission. Ref. [225] Copyright 2019, Anal Chim Acta. (b) Reproduced with permission. Ref. [40] Copyright 2014, Anal Chem.