Modular microfluidic probe for addressable fluidic landscapes

Abstract

Applications in chemistry, biology, and diagnostics increasingly require precise and reconfigurable delivery of chemical cues on open and accessible surfaces. Achieving such spatially resolved and dynamically programmable control remains challenging with conventional microfluidic systems, whose fixed and enclosed architectures limit adaptability, scalability, and sample access. Here, we introduce a modular, 3D-printed input–processing–output–flow (IPOF) framework that enables plug-and-play reconfiguration of open-space microfluidic functions without redesigning the entire probe. This strategy transforms continuous open-space flows into discrete, independently addressable output nodes that can be assembled into reconfigurable open-space fluidic landscapes on demand. Built on a standardized IPOF architecture, the system employs precisely engineered, interchangeable modules that provide plug-and-play control over reagent delivery, flow confinement, mixing, and output node formation through simple physical reconfiguration. We demonstrate node-level operations including concentration gradient discretization, multiplexed reagent delivery, localized reactions, and multiscale surface patterning. By decoupling fluidic function from fixed device geometry, this approach enables rapid reconfiguration without cleanroom fabrication or full system redesign. Together, these modular node architectures provide a scalable and accessible foundation for open-space microfluidics and support emerging needs in high-content screening, precision bioanalysis, and translational research.