Micro fibre optic flow checker for the medical analysis application

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Optics and Photonics

Background:

• Accurate control of microfluidic solvent flow is critical for medical analysis.
• Existing flow control methods may lack the required precision for low-volume applications.
• Fiber optic sensing offers a non-invasive and sensitive approach to fluid monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present two novel micro fiber optic flow checkers.
• To enable precise control of solvent flow rates down to 1 microliter per minute.
• To validate the performance of these flow checkers for medical analysis.

Main Methods:

• Design and integration of fiber optic sensors with a hydraulic system.
• Development of microfluidic channels for solvent delivery.
• Experimental setup for flow control and measurement.
• Characterization of linearity, repeatability, and stability.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of two functional micro fiber optic flow checkers.
• Achieved precise solvent flow control with a resolution of 1 microliter per minute.
• Quantification of linearity, repeatability, and stability of the flow checkers.
• Validation of the system's suitability for medical analysis applications.

Conclusions:

• The developed micro fiber optic flow checkers provide accurate and reliable solvent flow control.
• These devices are suitable for demanding medical analysis requiring high-resolution fluid management.
• Fiber optic technology offers a promising solution for advanced microfluidic control systems.