Bibliometric study of plastics microfluidic chip from 1994 to 2022: A review

Microfluidic tools are widely used in research and manufacturing to manipulate fluids in micrometer channels. These tools are useful for detecting cell cultures, food pathogens, biomedical, energy, and disease. The affordability, versatility, biocompatibility, strength, and transparency of thermoplastics have contributed to its widespread use in the commercialization of microfluidic chips. A bibliometric study of plastic microfluidic chips was conducted using publications from the Scopus database between 1994 and 2022. The study analysed publications based on countries, journals, authorship, and keywords, while VOSviewer software was used for the visualization. Results showed that the United States and China were the most dominant article producers, accounting for almost 50 % of publications. Lab On a Chip was the most active journal, with 22.84 % of its publications involved in microfluidic chips. The network of keywords was coupled and concluded that Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polystyrene (PS), and Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) benefitted the researchers of microfluidic chips owing to their biocompatibility, durability, optically transparent, and inexpensiveness. By identifying global trends, key materials, and leading contributors in plastic microfluidic chip research, this study offers valuable insights into the most influential countries, leading journals, and primary materials. These insights are instrumental in guiding researchers, manufacturers, and academics in selecting future research directions and better material choices, particularly in the fields of biomedical diagnostics, food safety, and energy solutions.