Issue 5, 2024

Microfluidics in environmental analysis: advancements, challenges, and future prospects for rapid and efficient monitoring

Abstract

Microfluidic devices have emerged as advantageous tools for detecting environmental contaminants due to their portability, ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and rapid response capabilities. These devices have wide-ranging applications in environmental monitoring of air, water, and soil matrices, and have also been applied to agricultural monitoring. Although several previous reviews have explored microfluidic devices' utility, this paper presents an up-to-date account of the latest advancements in this field for environmental monitoring, looking back at the past five years. In this review, we discuss devices for prominent contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, nutrients, microorganisms, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), etc. We cover numerous detection methods (electrochemical, colorimetric, fluorescent, etc.) and critically assess the current state of microfluidic devices for environmental monitoring, highlighting both their successes and limitations. Moreover, we propose potential strategies to mitigate these limitations and offer valuable insights into future research and development directions.

Graphical abstract: Microfluidics in environmental analysis: advancements, challenges, and future prospects for rapid and efficient monitoring

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
13 okt 2023
Accepted
08 dec 2023
First published
02 jan 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Lab Chip, 2024,24, 1175-1206

Microfluidics in environmental analysis: advancements, challenges, and future prospects for rapid and efficient monitoring

P. Aryal, C. Hefner, B. Martinez and C. S. Henry, Lab Chip, 2024, 24, 1175 DOI: 10.1039/D3LC00871A

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