3D-Printed Hydrodynamic Focusing Lab-on-a-Chip Device for Impedance Flow Particle Analysis

Abstract

Particles analysis, such as cell counting and differentiation, are widely used for the diagnosis and monitoring of several medical conditions, such as during inflammation. Three-dimensional-printed lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices, which can utilize one of the cell counting methods, can bring this technology to remote locations through its cost-efficient advantages and easy handling. We present a three-dimensional-printed LOC device with integrated electrodes. To overcome the limited resolution of a 3D printer, we utilized a flow-focusing design. We modeled and simulated the mass transfer and flow dynamics in the LOC by incorporating a flow-focusing design and reached an optimal channel diameter of 0.5 mm, resulting in a flow-focusing distance of <60 µm. We also used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to enable the dependence of the electrode–solution interface on the flow-focusing properties. Finally, we highlighted the proof-of-concept detection of microspheres (6 µm diameter), which model biological cells that flow in the channel, by recording the electrochemical impedance at 10 kHz, thus showing the potential of a future point-of-care (POC) device.

Lab-on-a-Drone: remote voltammetric analysis of lead in water with real-time data transmission

“…20,21 In addition, LOC devices can be fabricated using a variety of substrates including paper, 22,23 glass, 24 polymers, 25 and ceramics 26–28 using various optical 29 or electrochemical means. 30–35 As an extension of this idea, this paper presents a Lab-on-a-Drone, a flying unit capable of performing in situ electrochemical detection. The system uses non-toxic sensors based on screen-printed boron-doped diamond electrodes (SP-BDDE) and is powered using a battery, which was recharged using an integrated solar panel.…”

Design and Fabrication of a 3D-Printed Microfluidic Immunoarray for Ultrasensitive Multiplexed Protein Detection

“…Devices can integrate multiple functions into 'lab-on-a-chip' (LOC) configurations, with applications ranging from enhancing analytical methodologies to addressing critical challenges in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and biological research [6,7]. These LOC devices are capable of transporting individual micro-samples within the microfluidic environment without the need for continuous fluid flow to open avenues for highly sensitive and specific analyses [8]. The versatility of LOC platforms is underscored by their integration with various detection schemes.…”