A crosstalk-free dual-mode sweat sensing system for naked-eye sweat loss quantification via changes in structural reflectance

Sweat loss monitoring is important for understanding the body’s thermoregulation and hydration status,as well as for comprehensive sweat analysis.Despite recent advances,developing a low-cost,scalable,and universal method for the fabrication of colorimetric microfluidics designed for sweat loss monitoring remains challenging.In this study,we propose a novel laserengraved surface roughening strategy for various flexible substrates.This process permits the construction of microchannels that show distinct structural reflectance changes before and after sweat filling.By leveraging these unique optical properties,we have developed a fully laser-engraved microfluidic device for the quantification of naked-eye sweat loss.This sweat loss sensor is capable of a volume resolution of 0.5µL and a total volume capacity of 11µL,and can be customized to meet different performance requirements.Moreover,we report the development of a crosstalk-free dual-mode sweat microfluidic system that integrates an Ag/AgCl chloride sensor and a matching wireless measurement flexible printed circuit board.This integrated system enables the real-time monitoring of colorimetric sweat loss signals and potential ion concentration signals without crosstalk.Finally,we demonstrate the potential practical use of this microfluidic sweat loss sensor and its integrated system for sports medicine via on-body studies.

Microfluidic-oriented synthesis of enriched iridium nanodots/carbon architecture for robust electrocatalytic nitrogen fixation

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR)is considered as a promising candidate to achieve ammonia synthesis because of clean electric energy,moderate reaction condition,safe operating process and harmless by-products.However,the chemical inertness of nitrogen and poor activated capacity on catalyst surface usually produce low ammonia yield and faradic efficiency.Herein,the microfluidic technology is proposed to efficiently fabricate enriched iridium nanodots/carbon architecture.Owing to in-situ co-precipitation reaction and microfluidic manipulation,the iridium nanodots/carbon nanomaterials possess small average size,uniform dispersion,high conductivity and abundant active sites,producing good proton activation and rapid electrons transmission and moderate adsorption/desorption capacity.As a result,the as-prepared iridium nanodots/carbon nanomaterials realize large ammonia yield of 28.73 μg h^(-1) cm^(-2) and faradic efficiency of 9.14%in KOH solution.Moreover,the high ammonia yield of 11.21 μg h^(-1) cm^(-2) and faradic efficiency of 24.30%are also achieved in H_(2)SO_(4) solution.The microfluidic method provides a reference for large-scale fabrication of nano-sized catalyst materials,which may accelerate the progress of electrocatalytic NRR in industrialization field.

The flow behavior of droplet adsorption on a liquid-liquid interface accompanied by cross-linking reaction and phase separation in a microchannel

The adsorption process of droplets on the liquid-liquid interface and phase separation process can regulate the spatial distribution of the fluid system,which are crucial for chemical engineering.However,the cross-linking reaction,which is widely used in the field of polymers,can change the physical properties of the fluids and affect the flow behavior accordingly.A configuration of microchannels is designed to conveniently generate uniform droplets in one phase of the parallel flow.The flow behavior of the adsorption process of sodium alginate droplets on the liquid-liquid interface is investigated,and the subsequent process of phase separation is studied.In the process of droplet adsorption,the crosslinking reaction occurs synchronously,which makes the droplet viscosity and the elasticity modules of the droplet surface increase,thus affecting the dynamics of the adsorption process and the equilibrium shape of the droplet.The variation of the adsorption length with time is divided into three stages,which all conform to power law relationship.The exponents of the second and third stages deviate from the results of the Tanner's law.The flow pattern maps of droplet adsorption and phase separation are drawn,and the operating ranges of complete adsorption and complete separation are provided.This study provides a theoretical basis for further studying the flow behavior of droplets with cross-linking reaction in a microchannel.

Dissolvable temporary barrier:a novel paradigm for flexible hydrogel patterning in organ-on-a-chip models

A combination of hydrogels and microfluidics allows the construction of biomimetic three-dimensional(3D)tissue models in vitro,which are also known as organ-on-a-chipmodels.The hydrogel patterningwith awell-controlled spatial distribution is typically achieved by embedding sophisticated microstructures to act as a boundary.However,these physical barriers inevitably expose cells/tissues to a less physiologically relevant microenvironment than in vivo conditions.Herein,we present a novel dissolvable temporary barrier(DTB)strategy that allows robust and flexible hydrogel patterning with great freedom of design and desirable flow stimuli for cellular hydrogels.The key aspect of this approach is the patterning of a water-soluble rigid barrier as a guiding path for the hydrogel using stencil printing technology,followed by a barrier-free medium perfusion after the dissolution of the DTB.Single and multiple tissue compartments with different geometries can be established using either straight or curved DTB structures.The effectiveness of this strategy is further validated by generating a 3D vascular network through vasculogenesis and angiogenesis using a vascularized microtumor model.As a new proof-of-concept in vasculature-on-a-chip,DTB enables seamless contact between the hydrogel and the culture medium in closed microdevices,which is an improved protocol for the fabrication ofmultiorgan chips.Therefore,we expect it to serve as a promising paradigm for organ-on-a-chip devices for the development of tumor vascularization and drug evaluation in the future preclinical studies.

High-throughput microfluidic production of carbon capture microcapsules:fundamentals,applications,and perspectives

In the last three decades,carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) emissions have shown a significant increase from various sources.To address this pressing issue,the importance of reducing CO_(2) emissions has grown,leading to increased attention toward carbon capture,utilization,and storage strategies.Among these strategies,monodisperse microcapsules,produced by using droplet microfluidics,have emerged as promising tools for carbon capture,offering a potential solution to mitigate CO_(2) emissions.However,the limited yield of microcapsules due to the inherent low flow rate in droplet microfluidics remains a challenge.In this comprehensive review,the high-throughput production of carbon capture microcapsules using droplet microfluidics is focused on.Specifically,the detailed insights into microfluidic chip fabrication technologies,the microfluidic generation of emulsion droplets,along with the associated hydrodynamic considerations,and the generation of carbon capture microcapsules through droplet microfluidics are provided.This review highlights the substantial potential of droplet microfluidics as a promising technique for large-scale carbon capture microcapsule production,which could play a significant role in achieving carbon neutralization and emission reduction goals.

GPU-accelerated OCT imaging: Real-time data processing and artifact suppression for enhanced monitoring of 3D bioprinted tissues and vascular-like networks

Optical coherence tomography(OCT)imaging technology has significant advantages in in situ and noninvasive monitoring of biological tissues.However,it still faces the following challenges:including data processing speed,image quality,and improvements in three-dimensional(3D)visualization effects.OCT technology,especially functional imaging techniques like optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA),requires a long acquisition time and a large data size.Despite the substantial increase in the acquisition speed of swept source optical coherence tomography(SS-OCT),it still poses significant challenges for data processing.Additionally,during in situ acquisition,image artifacts resulting from interface reflections or strong reflections from biological tissues and culturing containers present obstacles to data visualization and further analysis.Firstly,a customized frequency domainfilter with anti-banding suppression parameters was designed to suppress artifact noises.Then,this study proposed a graphics processing unit(GPU)-based real-time data processing pipeline for SS-OCT,achieving a measured line-process rate of 800 kHz for 3D fast and high-quality data visualization.Furthermore,a GPU-based realtime data processing for CC-OCTA was integrated to acquire dynamic information.Moreover,a vascular-like network chip was prepared using extrusion-based 3D printing and sacrificial materials,with sacrificial material being printed at the desired vascular network locations and then removed to form the vascular-like network.OCTA imaging technology was used to monitor the progression of sacrificial material removal and vascular-like network formation.Therefore,GPU-based OCT enables real-time processing and visualization with artifact suppression,making it particularly suitable for in situ noninvasive longitudinal monitoring of 3D bioprinting tissue and vascular-like networks in microfluidic chips.

Overall Assessment of Heat Transfer for a Rarefied Flow in a Microchannel with Obstacles Using Lattice Boltzmann Method

The objective of this investigation is to assess the effect of obstacles on numerical heat transfer and fluid flow momentum in a rectangular microchannel(MC).Two distinct configurations were studied:one without obstacles and the other with alternating obstacles placed on the upper and lower walls.The research utilized the thermal lattice Boltzmann method(LBM),which solves the energy and momentum equations of fluids with the BGK approximation,implemented in a Python coding environment.Temperature jump and slip velocity conditions were utilized in the simulation for the MC and extended to all obstacle boundaries.The study aims to analyze the rarefaction effect,with Knudsen numbers(Kn)of 0.012,0.02,and 0.05.The outcomes indicate that rarefaction has a significant impact on the velocity and temperature distribution.The presence of nine obstacles led to slower fluid movement inside the microchannel MC,resulting in faster cooling at the outlet.In MCs with obstacles,the rarefaction effect plays a crucial role in decreasing the Nusselt number(Nu)and skin friction coefficient(Cf).Furthermore,the study demonstrated that the obstacles played a crucial role in boosting fluid flow and heat transfer in the MC.The findings suggest that the examined configurations could have potential applications as cooling technologies in micro-electro-mechanical systems and microdevice applications.

The viscous strip approach to simplify the calculation of the surface acoustic wave generated streaming

In recent decades,the importance of surface acoustic waves,as a biocompatible tool to integrate with microfluidics,has been proven in various medical and biological applications.The numerical modeling of acoustic streaming caused by surface acoustic waves in microchannels requires the effect of viscosity to be considered in the equations which complicates the solution.In this paper,it is shown that the major contribution of viscosity and the horizontal component of actuation is concentrated in a narrow region alongside the actuation boundary.Since the inviscid equations are considerably easier to solve,a division into the viscous and inviscid domains would alleviate the computational load significantly.The particles'traces calculated by this approximation are excellently alongside their counterparts from the completely viscous model.It is also shown that the optimum thickness for the viscous strip is about 9-fold the acoustic boundary layer thickness for various flow patterns and amplitudes of actuation.

Simulation and fabrication of in vitro microfluidic microelectrode array chip for patterned culture and electrophysiological detection of neurons

To enable the detection and modulation of modularized neural networks in vitro,this study proposes a microfluidic microelectrode array chip for the cultivation,compartmentalization,and control of neural cells.The chip was designed based on the specific structure of neurons and the requirements for detection and modulation.Finite-element analysis of the chip’s flow field was conducted using the COMSOL Multiphysics software,and the simulation results show that the liquid within the chip can flow smoothly,ensuring stable flow fields that facilitate the uniform growth of neurons within the microfluidic channels.By employing MEMS technology in combination with nanomaterial modification techniques,the microfluidic microelectrode array chip was fabricated successfully.Primary hippocampal neurons were cultured on the chip,forming a well-defined neural network.Spontaneous electrical activity of the detected neurons was recorded,exhibiting a 23.7%increase in amplitude compared to neuronal discharges detected on an open-field microelectrode array.This study provides a platform for the precise detection and modulation of patterned neuronal growth in vitro,potentially serving as a novel tool in neuroscience research.

Femtosecond laser-induced nanoparticle implantation into flexible substrate for sensitive and reusable microfluidics SERS detection

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)microfluidic system,which enables rapid detection of chemical and biological analytes,offers an effective platform to monitor various food contaminants and disease diagnoses.The efficacy of SERS microfluidic systems is greatly dependent on the sensitivity and reusability of SERS detection substrates to ensure repeated use for prolonged periods.This study proposed a novel process of femtosecond laser nanoparticle array(NPA)implantation to achieve homogeneous forward transfer of gold NPA on a flexible polymer film and accurately integrated it within microfluidic chips for SERS detection.The implanted Au-NPA strips show a remarkable electromagnetic field enhancement with the factor of 9×108 during SERS detection of malachite green(MG)solution,achieving a detection limit lower than 10 ppt,far better than most laser-prepared SERS substrates.Furthermore,Au-NPA strips show excellent reusability after several physical and chemical cleaning,because of the robust embedment of laser-implanted NPA in flexible substrates.To demonstrate the performance of Au-NPA,a SERS microfluidic system is built to monitor the online oxidation reaction between MG/NaClO reactants,which helps infer the reaction path.The proposed method of nanoparticle implantation is more effective than the direct laser structuring technique.It provides better performance for SERS detection,robustness of detection,and substrate flexibility and has a wider range of applications for microfluidic systems without any negative impact.

Micro-nano-fabrication of green functional materials by multiphase microfluidics for environmental and energy applications

Multiphase microfluidic has emerged as a powerful platform to produce novel materials with tailor-designed functionalities,as microfluidic fabrication provides precise controls over the size,component,and structure of resultant materials.Recently,functional materials with well-defined micro-/nanostructures fabricated by microfluidics find important applications as environmental and energy materials.This review first illustrated in detail how different structures or shapes of droplet and jet templates are formed by typical configurations of microfluidic channel networks and multiphase flow systems.Subsequently,recent progresses on several representative energy and environmental applications,such as water purification,water collecting and energy storage,were overviewed.Finally,it is envisioned that integrating microfluidics and other novel materials will play increasing important role in contributing environmental remediation and energy storage in near future.

A novel integrated microfluidic chip for on-demand electrostatic droplet charging and sorting

On-demand droplet sorting is extensively applied for the efficient manipulation and genome-wide analysis of individual cells.However,state-of-the-art microfluidic chips for droplet sorting still suffer from low sorting speeds,sample loss,and labor-intensive preparation procedures.Here,we demonstrate the development of a novel microfluidic chip that integrates droplet generation,on-demand electrostatic droplet charging,and high-throughput sorting.The charging electrode is a copper wire buried above the nozzle of the microchannel,and the deflecting electrode is the phosphate buffered saline in the microchannel,which greatly simplifies the structure and fabrication process of the chip.Moreover,this chip is capable of high-frequency droplet generation and sorting,with a frequency of 11.757 kHz in the drop state.The chip completes the selective charging process via electrostatic induction during droplet generation.On-demand charged microdroplets can arbitrarilymove to specific exit channels in a three-dimensional(3D)-deflected electric field,which can be controlled according to user requirements,and the flux of droplet deflection is thereby significantly enhanced.Furthermore,a lossless modification strategy is presented to improve the accuracy of droplet deflection or harvest rate from 97.49% to 99.38% by monitoring the frequency of droplet generation in real time and feeding it back to the charging signal.This chip has great potential for quantitative processing and analysis of single cells for elucidating cell-to-cell variations.

Microfluidic thermotaxic selection of highlymotile sperm and in vitro fertilization

The selection of the most motile and functionally competent sperm is an essential basis for in vitro fertilization(IVF)and normal embryonic development.Widely adopted clinical approaches for sperm sample processing intensely rely on centrifugation and wash steps that may induce mechanical damage and oxidative stress to sperm.Although a few microfluidic sperm sorting devices may avoid these adverse effects by exploiting intrinsic guidance mechanisms of sperm swimming,none of these approaches have been fully validated by clinical-grade assessment criteria.In this study,a microfluidic sperm sorting device that enables the selection of highly motile and functional sperm via their intrinsic thermotaxis is presented.Bioinspired by the temperature microenvironment in the fallopian tube during natural sperm selection,a microfluidic device with controllable temperature gradients along the sperm separation channel was designed and fabricated.This study investigated the optimal temperature conditions for human sperm selection and fully characterized thermotaxis-selected sperm with 45 human sperm samples.Results indicated that a temperature range of 35–36.5℃along the separation channel significantly improves human sperm motility rate((85.25±6.28)%vs.(60.72±1.37)%;P=0.0484),increases normal sperm morphology rate((16.42±1.43)%vs.(12.55±0.88)%;P<0.0001),and reduces DNA fragmentation((7.44±0.79)%vs.(10.36±0.72)%;P=0.0485)compared to the nonthermotaxis group.Sperm thermotaxis is species-specific,and selected mouse sperm displayed the highest motility in response to a temperature range of 36–37.5℃ along the separation channel.Furthermore,IVF experiments indicated that the selected sperm permitted an increased fertilization rate and improved embryonic development from zygote to blastocyst.This microfluidic thermotaxic selection approach will be translated into clinical practice to improve the IVF success rate for patients with oligozoospermia and asthenozoospermia.

Functional microfluidics:theory,microfabrication,and applications

Microfluidic devices are composed of microchannels with a diameter ranging from ten to a few hundred micrometers.Thus,quite a small(10-9–10-18l)amount of liquid can be manipulated by such a precise system.In the past three decades,significant progress in materials science,microfabrication,and various applications has boosted the development of promising functional microfluidic devices.In this review,the recent progress on novel microfluidic devices with various functions and applications is presented.First,the theory and numerical methods for studying the performance of microfluidic devices are briefly introduced.Then,materials and fabrication methods of functional microfluidic devices are summarized.Next,the recent significant advances in applications of microfluidic devices are highlighted,including heat sinks,clean water production,chemical reactions,sensors,biomedicine,capillaric circuits,wearable electronic devices,and microrobotics.Finally,perspectives on the challenges and future developments of functional microfluidic devices are presented.This review aims to inspire researchers from various fields engineering,materials,chemistry,mathematics,physics,and more—to collaborate and drive forward the development and applications of functional microfluidic devices,specifically for achieving carbon neutrality.

Ionically Imprinting-Based Copper(Ⅱ)Label-Free Detection for Preventing Hearing Loss

Copper is a microelement with important physiological functions in the body.However,the excess copper ion(Cu^(2+))may cause severe health problems,such as hair cell apoptosis and the resultant hearing loss.Therefore,the assay of Cu^(2+)is important.We integrate ionic imprinting technology(IIT)and structurally colored hydrogel beads to prepare chitosan-based ionically imprinted hydrogel beads(IIHBs)as a low-cost and high-specificity platform for Cu^(2+)detection.The IIHBs have a macroporous microstructure,uniform size,vivid structural color,and magnetic responsiveness.When incubated in solution,IIHBs recognize Cu^(2+)and exhibit a reflective peak change,thereby achieving label-free detection.In addition,benefiting from the IIT,the IIHBs display good specificity and selectivity and have an imprinting factor of 19.14 at 100μmol·L^(-1).These features indicated that the developed IIHBs are promising candidates for Cu^(2+)detection,particularly for the prevention of hearing loss.

Microfluidic preparation of surfactant-free ultrafine DAAF with tunable particle size for insensitive initiator explosives

High purity and ultrafine DAAF(u-DAAF)is an emerging insensitive charge in initiators.Although there are many ways to obtain u-DAAF,developing a preparation method with stable operation,accurate control,good quality consistency,equipment miniaturization,and minimum manpower is an inevitable requirement to adapt to the current social technology development trend.Here reported is the microfluidic preparation of u-DAAF with tunable particle size by a passive swirling microreactor.Under the guidance of recrystallization growth kinetics and mixing behavior of fluids in the swirling microreactor,the key parameters(liquid flow rate,explosive concentration and crystallization temperature)were screened and optimized through screening experiments.Under the condition that no surfactant is added and only experimental parameters are controlled,the particle size of recrystallized DAAF can be adjusted from 98 nm to 785 nm,and the corresponding specific surface area is 8.45 m^(2)·g^(-1)to 1.33 m^(2)·g^(-1).In addition,the preparation method has good batch stability,high yield(90.8%-92.6%)and high purity(99.0%-99.4%),indicating a high practical application potential.Electric explosion derived flyer initiation tests demonstrate that the u-DAAF shows an initiation sensitivity much lower than that of the raw DAAF,and comparable to that of the refined DAAF by conventional spraying crystallization method.This study provides an efficient method to fabricate u-DAAF with narrow particle size distribution and high reproducibility as well as a theoretical reference for fabrication of other ultrafine explosives.

In vitro engineered models of neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegeneration is a catastrophic process that develops progressive damage leading to functional andstructural loss of the cells of the nervous system and is among the biggest unavoidable problems of our age.Animalmodels do not reflect the pathophysiology observed in humans due to distinct differences between the neuralpathways,gene expression patterns,neuronal plasticity,and other disease-related mechanisms in animals andhumans.Classical in vitro cell culture models are also not sufficient for pre-clinical drug testing in reflecting thecomplex pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases.Today,modern,engineered techniques are applied to developmulticellular,intricate in vitro models and to create the closest microenvironment simulating biological,biochemical,and mechanical characteristics of the in vivo degenerating tissue.In THIS review,the capabilities and shortcomings ofscaffold-based and scaffold-free techniques,organoids,and microfluidic models that best reflect neurodegeneration invitro in the biomimetic framework are discussed.

Rapid fabrication of modular 3D paper-basedmicrofluidic chips using projection-based 3D printing

Paper-based microchips have different advantages,such as better biocompatibility,simple production,and easy handling,making them promising candidates for clinical diagnosis and other fields.This study describes amethod developed to fabricate modular three-dimensional(3D)paper-based microfluidic chips based on projection-based 3D printing(PBP)technology.A series of two-dimensional(2D)paper-based microfluidic modules was designed and fabricated.After evaluating the effect of exposure time on the accuracy of the flow channel,the resolution of this channel was experimentally analyzed.Furthermore,several 3D paper-based microfluidic chips were assembled based on the 2D ones using different methods,with good channel connectivity.Scaffold-based 2D and hydrogel-based 3D cell culture systems based on 3D paper-based microfluidic chips were verified to be feasible.Furthermore,by combining extrusion 3D bioprinting technology and the proposed 3D paper-based microfluidic chips,multiorgan microfluidic chips were established by directly printing 3D hydrogel structures on 3D paperbased microfluidic chips,confirming that the prepared modular 3D paper-based microfluidic chip is potentially applicable in various biomedical applications.

Microphysiological systems for modeling gut-organ interaction

The gut is a digestive organ that absorbs nutrients but also plays a vital role in immune response and defense against external compounds.The complex interaction between the gut microbiota and other organs including the immune system of the host has been known in various contexts,yielding the notion of‘axes’between the gut and other organs.While the presence of various gut-organ axes has been reported,the lack of adequate in vitro model systems for studying this interaction has restricted a deeper insight into these phenomena.Recently developed microphysiological systems(MPS),also known as organ-on-a-chip,allow researchers to study complex interactions between diverse organs,and here we provide a review of how recently developed gut-on-a-chip systems are used for building models of various diseases that were difficult to study.

Estimation of cancer cell migration in biomimetic random/oriented collagen fiber microenvironments

Increasing data indicate that cancer cell migration is regulated by extracellular matrixes and their surrounding biochemical microenvironment,playing a crucial role in pathological processes such as tumor invasion and metastasis.However,conventional two-dimensional cell culture and animal models have limitations in studying the influence of tumor microenvironment on cancer cell migration.Fortunately,the further development of microfluidic technology has provided solutions for the study of such questions.We utilize microfluidic chip to build a random collagen fiber microenvironment(RFM)model and an oriented collagen fiber microenvironment(OFM)model that resemble early stage and late stage breast cancer microenvironments,respectively.By combining cell culture,biochemical concentration gradient construction,and microscopic imaging techniques,we investigate the impact of different collagen fiber biochemical microenvironments on the migration of breast cancer MDA-MB-231-RFP cells.The results show that MDA-MB-231-RFP cells migrate further in the OFM model compared to the RFM model,with significant differences observed.Furthermore,we establish concentration gradients of the anticancer drug paclitaxel in both the RFM and OFM models and find that paclitaxel significantly inhibits the migration of MDA-MB-231-RFP cells in the RFM model,with stronger inhibition on the high concentration side compared to the low concentration side.However,the inhibitory effect of paclitaxel on the migration of MDA-MB-231-RFP cells in the OFM model is weak.These findings suggest that the oriented collagen fiber microenvironment resembling the late-stage tumor microenvironment is more favorable for cancer cell migration and that the effectiveness of anticancer drugs is diminished.The RFM and OFM models constructed in this study not only provide a platform for studying the mechanism of cancer development,but also serve as a tool for the initial measurement of drug screening.