Microfluidic platforms with superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic channels
Megaridis and his team from University of Illinois at Chicago published a paper ” Wettability patterning for high-rate, pumpless fluid transport on open, non-planar microfluidic platforms” on Lab Chip ( 2014,14,1538-1550, DOI: 10.1039/C3LC51406D). This study uses a facile wettability patterning method to produce open microfluidic tracks that are capable of transporting a wide range of liquid volumes (~1–500 μL) on-chip, overcoming viscous and other opposing forces (e.g., gravity) at the pertinent length scales.
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Fig 1. Plastic strips with superhydrophilic centers and superhydrophobic surroundings that combine or separate fluids have the potential to serve as platforms for diagnostic tests. Just like a highway, the road is the strip for the liquid to travel down, and it ends up collecting in a fluid storage tank on the surface. The storage tank could hold a reactive agent. Medical personnel could use the disposable strips to field-test water samples for E. coli, for example. |
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Fig2. As superhydrophobic materials become cheaper, their potential as disposable medical devices grows. Tiny amounts of fluid, such as saliva or blood, can be mixed and measured on a paper strip, and then tossed. |
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Fig3. At the microscale, who needs a pump? Surface tension causes liquids to travel uphill on the path of least resistance. |
All Pictures Credit: Constantine M. Megaridis, Aritra Ghosh, Ranjan Ganguly, Micro/Nanoscale Fluid Transport Laboratory, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago
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