High performance magnesium anode in paper-based microfluidic battery, powering on-chip fluorescence assay
Youngmi Koo1, Jagannathan Sankar1, Yeoheung Yun1
1Engineering Research Center, Department of Chemical, Biological, and Bio Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University , Greensboro, North Carolina 27411, USA.
Biomicrofluidics
|October 22, 2014
Summary
A novel magnesium battery anode in a paper-based fluidic chip offers a low-cost, disposable power source for point-of-care (POC) devices. This stable battery technology utilizes minimal water and enables smartphone-based detection for faster analysis.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Point-of-care (POC) devices require compact, reliable, and cost-effective power sources.
- Disposable, paper-based batteries are emerging as a sustainable solution for portable diagnostics.
- Magnesium's electrochemical properties make it a promising anode material for energy storage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a stable, disposable magnesium battery anode for paper-based fluidic devices.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of powering on-chip functions in POC devices using this battery.
- To integrate the battery with detection methods for quantitative analysis.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a paper-based fluidic galvanic cell using magnesium and silver foil electrodes.
- Characterization of the cell's electrochemical performance, including open circuit potential and power density.
- Integration of serial galvanic cells with a UV-LED and a fluorescence assay for alkaline phosphatase.
- Quantitative detection using smartphone-based fluorescent density measurements.
Main Results:
- The single galvanic cell achieved an open circuit potential of 2.2 V and a power density of 3.0 mW/cm(2).
- The paper-based fluidic battery operated effectively with a small volume of water (80 μl).
- Two-serial galvanic cells successfully powered a UV-LED and enabled smartphone-based quantitative fluorescence detection.
Conclusions:
- A low-cost, lightweight, and scalable magnesium-based fluidic battery on a paper chip was successfully developed.
- The battery is suitable for powering on-chip functions in POC devices, offering advantages in disposability and ease of use.
- This technology enables faster analysis times and quantitative detection, paving the way for advanced portable diagnostic tools.
