A low-cost, ultraflexible cloth-based microfluidic device for wireless electrochemiluminescence application
1MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Institute of Laser Life Science, College of Biophotonics, South China Normal University, No. 55, Zhongshan Avenue West, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510631, China. zhangcs@scnu.edu.cn zhangcs_scnu@126.com.
Lab on a Chip
|June 30, 2016
Summary
Researchers developed ultra-flexible, low-cost microfluidic cloth analytical devices (μCADs) for wireless electrochemiluminescence. These devices, costing just $0.015 each, enable sensitive detection of analytes like TPA and glucose, demonstrating potential for affordable diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Analytical Chemistry
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Growing demand for affordable diagnostic tools necessitates inexpensive matrices for analytical assays.
- Cloth offers a low-cost, flexible, and processable material for developing analytical devices, leveraging capillary action for fluid transport.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct and evaluate low-cost, ultraflexible microfluidic cloth-based analytical devices (μCADs) for wireless electrochemiluminescence (ECL).
- To demonstrate the analytical performance of these devices using common ECL systems for analyte detection.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of μCADs using wax-screen-printed cloth channels and carbon ink screen-printed electrodes.
- Implementation of wireless electrochemiluminescence (C-WL-ECL) with tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(ii)/tri-n-propylamine (Ru(bpy)3(2+)/TPA) and luminol/hydrogen peroxide (luminol/H2O2) systems.
- Testing device performance under various conditions, including bending, for analyte quantification.
Main Results:
- The C-WL-ECL μCADs were produced at an estimated cost of $0.015 per device.
- Successful quantitative determination of TPA with a detection limit of 0.085 mM was achieved.
- Detection of hydrogen peroxide down to 0.024 mM and glucose down to 0.195 mM was demonstrated using bent μCADs.
Conclusions:
- The developed C-WL-ECL μCADs offer a simple, cost-effective, and ultraflexible platform for analytical assays.
- The devices exhibit acceptable analytical performance, showing potential for widespread application in low-cost diagnostics.
- The study highlights the viability of cloth as a substrate for advanced microfluidic analytical devices.
