Development of a novel microfluidic biosensing platform integrating micropillar array electrode and acoustic...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Biosensing
• Microfluidics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Early disease stage biomarker quantification is hindered by low analyte abundance and limited technique sensitivity.
• Existing biosensing platforms often struggle to achieve the necessary sensitivity for early-stage disease detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel microfluidic electrochemical biosensing platform for highly sensitive biomarker detection.
• To enhance electrochemical sensing performance using nanostructured electrodes and acoustic microstreaming.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a micropillar array electrode (μAE) coated with 3D bimetallic Platinum-Palladium (Pt-Pd) nanotrees.
• Integration of a bubble-based acoustic microstreaming technique to improve analyte-electrode interaction.
• Electrochemical performance evaluation using potassium ferrocyanide, hydrogen peroxide, and sarcosine detection.

Main Results:

• The Pt-Pd nanotree-coated μAE with acoustic microstreaming showed a 22-fold increase in current density compared to a bare planar electrode.
• For hydrogen peroxide detection, Pt-Pd nanotrees increased current density 28-fold, further enhanced 1.6-fold by acoustic microstreaming.
• The biosensor achieved a linear detection range of 5–1000 μM (LOD 1.8 μM) for H2O2 and 5–100 μM (LOD 2.2 μM) for sarcosine, with high sarcosine sensitivity (667 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻²).

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic electrochemical biosensing platform demonstrates significantly enhanced sensitivity for biomarker detection.
• The combination of 3D bimetallic nanotrees and acoustic microstreaming offers a promising approach for sensitive and potentially portable early disease diagnosis.
• This technology holds potential for high-sensitivity detection of various biomarkers, aiding in early disease identification.