Issue 24, 2022

Microfluidic quantum sensing platform for lab-on-a-chip applications

Abstract

Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications have emerged as invaluable physical and life sciences tools. The advantages stem from advanced system miniaturization, thus, requiring far less sample volume while allowing for complex functionality, increased reproducibility, and high throughput. However, LOC applications necessitate extensive sensor miniaturization to leverage these inherent advantages fully. Atom-sized quantum sensors are highly promising to bridge this gap and have enabled measurements of temperature, electric and magnetic fields on the nano- to microscale. Nevertheless, the technical complexity of both disciplines has so far impeded an uncompromising combination of LOC systems and quantum sensors. Here, we present a fully integrated microfluidic platform for solid-state spin quantum sensors, like the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond. Our platform fulfills all technical requirements, such as fast spin manipulation, enabling full quantum sensing capabilities, biocompatibility, and easy adaptability to arbitrary channel and chip geometries. To illustrate the vast potential of quantum sensors in LOC systems, we demonstrate various NV center-based sensing modalities for chemical analysis in our microfluidic platform, ranging from paramagnetic ion detection to high-resolution microscale NV-NMR. Consequently, our work opens the door for novel chemical analysis capabilities within LOC devices with applications in electrochemistry, high-throughput reaction screening, bioanalytics, organ-on-a-chip, or single-cell studies.

Graphical abstract: Microfluidic quantum sensing platform for lab-on-a-chip applications

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Sept. 2022
Accepted
01 Nov. 2022
First published
10 Nov. 2022

Lab Chip, 2022,22, 4831-4840

Microfluidic quantum sensing platform for lab-on-a-chip applications

R. D. Allert, F. Bruckmaier, N. R. Neuling, F. A. Freire-Moschovitis, K. S. Liu, C. Schrepel, P. Schätzle, P. Knittel, M. Hermans and D. B. Bucher, Lab Chip, 2022, 22, 4831 DOI: 10.1039/D2LC00874B

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