Issue 13, 2023

Non-invasive monitoring of biochemicals in hydrogel-assisted microfluidic chips

Abstract

Microfluidic chips are prevailingly utilized in biochemical monitoring and clinical diagnostics due to their capability of manipulating minuscule amounts of liquids in a highly integrated manner. Fabrication of microchannels on chips is commonly based on glass or polydimethylsiloxane, and sensing of the fluids and biochemicals within them relies on invasive embedded sensing accessories in the channels. In this study, we propose a hydrogel-assisted microfluidic chip for non-invasive monitoring of chemicals in microfluidics. A nanoporous hydrogel acts as a perfect sealing film on top of a microchannel to encapsulate liquid, and allows for the delivery of target biochemicals to its surface, leaving an open window for non-invasive analysis. This functionally “open” microchannel can be integrated with various electrical, electrochemical, and optical methods to realize accurate detection of biochemicals, suggesting the potential of hydrogel microfluidic chips for non-invasive clinical diagnostics and smart healthcare.

Graphical abstract: Non-invasive monitoring of biochemicals in hydrogel-assisted microfluidic chips

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 10 2022
Accepted
25 2 2023
First published
13 3 2023

Nanoscale, 2023,15, 6179-6186

Non-invasive monitoring of biochemicals in hydrogel-assisted microfluidic chips

N. Zhao, Z. Yu, J. Huang, Y. Liu, Y. Zhao, X. Fu, P. Yang and K. Liu, Nanoscale, 2023, 15, 6179 DOI: 10.1039/D2NR06042F

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