Recent advances on open fluidic systems for biomedical applications: A review

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics and Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Microfluidics enables precise control of fluids at the submillimeter scale.
• Open fluidic systems, characterized by a larger air/liquid interface, offer advantages over traditional closed-channel setups.
• These systems facilitate simpler fabrication, cleaning, and enhanced liquid handling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the advantages of open fluidics systems compared to closed fluidics.
• To analyze open fluidics platforms based on physical confinement and wettability-contrast confinement.
• To discuss device performance, versatility, manufacturing, and fluid manipulation methods.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of wall-based physical confinement (e.g., rectangular/triangular channels, suspended microfluidics).
• Exploration of wettability-contrast confinement using patterned surfaces.
• Review of polymer-, textile-, and paper-based microfluidic devices.

Main Results:

• Open fluidics demonstrate reduced risk of clogging and bubble-induced flow perturbations.
• Platforms are categorized by confinement principles, showcasing diverse designs and functionalities.
• Technologies are critically evaluated for performance, versatility, and manufacturing.

Conclusions:

• Open fluidics present significant advantages in microenvironment engineering.
• Diverse confinement strategies enable versatile device designs.
• Recent biomedical applications highlight the potential of open fluidics technologies.