A Novel Terahertz Metamaterial Microfluidic Sensing Chip for Ultra-Sensitive Detection

Area of Science:

• Terahertz (THz) technology
• Metamaterials
• Microfluidics
• Biosensing

Background:

• Terahertz (THz) radiation offers unique properties for non-ionizing spectroscopy.
• Detecting trace substances in liquid environments requires high-sensitivity methods.
• Molecular fingerprinting in the THz range can reveal detailed substance information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and analyze a terahertz metamaterial microfluidic sensing chip.
• To achieve ultrasensitive detection of substances in liquid.
• To enhance molecular fingerprinting capabilities for trace substance analysis.

Main Methods:

• Design and simulation of a multi-layered metamaterial microfluidic chip.
• Investigation of terahertz wave-matter interaction within the microfluidic channel.
• Analysis using impedance matching and equivalent circuit theory.
• Numerical simulations with refractive index data of biological cells.

Main Results:

• The sensor exhibits three resonance absorption peaks above 90% absorption in the 1.5-3.0 THz range.
• Near-perfect absorption (99.99%) achieved at 1.971 THz.
• High refractive index sensitivity (859 GHz/RIU) and Q-factor (23) demonstrate excellent sensing performance.
• Successful differentiation between normal and cancer cells based on refractive index data.

Conclusions:

• The proposed terahertz metamaterial microfluidic chip enables ultrasensitive detection and enhanced molecular fingerprinting.
• The sensor shows potential for early disease screening and food quality/safety assessment.
• The chip design reduces sample pretreatment time and improves terahertz wave-matter interaction.