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Microfluidic Sensors 2022

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2022) | Viewed by 18178

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, 4111 Brisbane, Australia
Interests: microfluidics; biomicrofluidics; lab-on-a-chip; tumour-on-a-chip
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Lecturer in Biochemistry, School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, North Yorkshire TS1 3BX, UK
Interests: electrochemical sensors; molecular diagnostics; environmental sensor; integrated microfluidics; nucleic acid bioengineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The interdisciplinary field of microfluidics has attracted significant attention among various fields ranging from engineering to life sciences and chemistry. It is worth emphasising that to be categorised in the field of microfluidics, only the length scale of the compartment that handles the fluid needs to be in the microscale domain.

In general, all microfluidic systems are either sensors or actuators. This Special Issue seeks to showcase research articles and critical review papers on recent advances in design, fabrication and characterisation of microfluidic sensors for environmental, forensic, chemical and biomedical applications.

Summing up, we invite submissions of papers related, but not limited, to the following topics:

  • Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPAD);
  • Droplet-based microfluidic sensing systems;
  • Optofluidic/magnetofluidic/electrokinetic sensors;
  • Microneedle-based sensors;
  • Wearable/flexible microfluidic sensors;
  • Microfluidic biosensors for immunophenotyping;
  • Lab-on-a-chip microfluidic platform integrated with smart detection platforms (e.g., electrochemical and optical readouts) and bioassays (e.g., immunoassays, nucleic acid analysis, cytometry).

Dr. Navid Kashaninejad
Dr. Md Nazmul Islam
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Microfluidic sensors
  • Microneedles
  • Wearable microfluidics
  • µPAD
  • Droplet-based sensors
  • Integrated point-of-care testing
  • Immunophenotyping

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3439 KiB  
Article
Classification between Normal and Cancerous Human Urothelial Cells by Using Micro-Dimensional Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Combined with Machine Learning
by Ho-Jung Jeong, Kihyun Kim, Hyeon Woo Kim and Yangkyu Park
Sensors 2022, 22(20), 7969; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22207969 - 19 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2196
Abstract
Although the high incidence and recurrence rates of urothelial cancer of the bladder (UCB) are heavy burdens, a noninvasive tool for effectively detecting UCB as an alternative to voided urine cytology, which has low sensitivity, is yet to be reported. Herein, we propose [...] Read more.
Although the high incidence and recurrence rates of urothelial cancer of the bladder (UCB) are heavy burdens, a noninvasive tool for effectively detecting UCB as an alternative to voided urine cytology, which has low sensitivity, is yet to be reported. Herein, we propose an intelligent discrimination method between normal (SV-HUC-1) and cancerous (TCCSUP) urothelial cells by using a combination of micro-dimensional electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (µEIS) with machine learning (ML) for a noninvasive and high-accuracy UCB diagnostic tool. We developed a unique valved flow cytometry, equipped with a pneumatic valve to increase sensitivity without cell clogging. Since contact between a cell and electrodes is tight with a high volume fraction, the electric field can be effectively confined to the cell. This enables the proposed sensor to highly discriminate different cell types at frequencies of 10, 50, 100, 500 kHz, and 1 MHz. A total of 236 impedance spectra were applied to six ML models, and systematic comparisons of the ML models were carried out. The hyperparameters were estimated by conducting a grid search or Bayesian optimization. Among the ML models, random forest strongly discriminated between SV-HUC-1 and TCCSUP, with an accuracy of 91.7%, sensitivity of 92.9%, precision of 92.9%, specificity of 90%, and F1-score of 93.8%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Sensors 2022)
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17 pages, 3011 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Absorbance and Fluorescence Measurements Using an Inlaid Microfluidic Approach
by Joshua J. Creelman, Edward A. Luy, Gabryelle C. H. Beland, Colin Sonnichsen and Vincent J. Sieben
Sensors 2021, 21(18), 6250; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21186250 - 17 Sep 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4747
Abstract
A novel microfluidic optical cell is presented that enables simultaneous measurement of both light absorbance and fluorescence on microlitre volumes of fluid. The chip design is based on an inlaid fabrication technique using clear and opaque poly(methyl methacrylate) or PMMA to create a [...] Read more.
A novel microfluidic optical cell is presented that enables simultaneous measurement of both light absorbance and fluorescence on microlitre volumes of fluid. The chip design is based on an inlaid fabrication technique using clear and opaque poly(methyl methacrylate) or PMMA to create a 20.2 mm long optical cell. The inlaid approach allows fluid interrogation with minimal interference from external light over centimeter long path lengths. The performance of the optical cell is evaluated using a stable fluorescent dye: rhodamine B. Excellent linear relationships (R2 > 0.99) are found for both absorbance and fluorescence over a 0.1–10 µM concentration range. Furthermore, the molar attenuation spectrum is accurately measured over the range 460–550 nm. The approach presented here is applicable to numerous colorimetric- or fluorescence-based assays and presents an important step in the development of multipurpose lab-on-chip sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Sensors 2022)
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13 pages, 3901 KiB  
Article
An Ultrahigh Sensitive Microwave Microfluidic System for Fast and Continuous Measurements of Liquid Solution Concentrations
by Piotr Słobodzian, Krzysztof Szostak, Katarzyna Skowronek, Laura Jasińska and Karol Malecha
Sensors 2021, 21(17), 5816; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21175816 - 29 Aug 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2635
Abstract
In this paper, we describe a low-cost microwave microfluidic system of ultrahigh sensitivity for detecting small changes in the concentration of polar solutions (liquid dielectrics) in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. Its principle of operation is based on microwave interferometry, which is implemented [...] Read more.
In this paper, we describe a low-cost microwave microfluidic system of ultrahigh sensitivity for detecting small changes in the concentration of polar solutions (liquid dielectrics) in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. Its principle of operation is based on microwave interferometry, which is implemented using planar microstrip lines and integrated microwave components. The key features of this system include small solution intake (<200 µL per measurement), short time of measurement (ca. 20 ms), ultrahigh sensitivity of concentration changes (up to 55 dB/%), and low error of measurement (below 0.1%). The ultrahigh sensitivity was proven experimentally by measurements of the fat content of milk. In addition, it is a user-friendly system due to an effortless and fast calibration procedure. Moreover, it can be made relatively compact (<20 cm2) and features low power consumption (200 mW). Thus, the proposed system is perfect for industrial applications, especially for highly integrated lab-on-chip devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Sensors 2022)
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21 pages, 2975 KiB  
Article
A Proof-of-Concept Study Using Numerical Simulations of an Acoustic Spheroid-on-a-Chip Platform for Improving 3D Cell Culture
by Arash Yahyazadeh Shourabi, Roozbeh Salajeghe, Maryam Barisam and Navid Kashaninejad
Sensors 2021, 21(16), 5529; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21165529 - 17 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4094
Abstract
Microfluidic lab-on-chip devices are widely being developed for chemical and biological studies. One of the most commonly used types of these chips is perfusion microwells for culturing multicellular spheroids. The main challenge in such systems is the formation of substantial necrotic and quiescent [...] Read more.
Microfluidic lab-on-chip devices are widely being developed for chemical and biological studies. One of the most commonly used types of these chips is perfusion microwells for culturing multicellular spheroids. The main challenge in such systems is the formation of substantial necrotic and quiescent zones within the cultured spheroids. Herein, we propose a novel acoustofluidic integrated platform to tackle this bottleneck problem. It will be shown numerically that such an approach is a potential candidate to be implemented to enhance cell viability and shrinks necrotic and quiescent zones without the need to increase the flow rate, leading to a significant reduction in costly reagents’ consumption in conventional spheroid-on-a-chip platforms. Proof-of-concept, designing procedures and numerical simulation are discussed in detail. Additionally, the effects of acoustic and hydrodynamic parameters on the cultured cells are investigated. The results show that by increasing acoustic boundary displacement amplitude (d0), the spheroid’s proliferating zone enlarges greatly. Moreover, it is shown that by implementing d0  = 0.5 nm, the required flow rate to maintain the necrotic zone below 13% will be decreased 12 times compared to non-acoustic chips. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Sensors 2022)
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19 pages, 8833 KiB  
Article
Photoelectric Sensor for Fast and Low-Priced Determination of Bi- and Triphasic Segmented Slug Flow Parameters
by Niclas von Vietinghoff, Waldemar Lungrin, Raphael Schulzke, Jonas Tilly and David W. Agar
Sensors 2020, 20(23), 6948; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20236948 - 4 Dec 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3079
Abstract
Applying multiphase systems in microreactors leads to an intensification of heat and mass transport. Critical aspects of the well-studied segmented slug-flow, such as bubble generation and pump control, can be automated, provided a robust sensor for the reliable determination of velocity, phase lengths, [...] Read more.
Applying multiphase systems in microreactors leads to an intensification of heat and mass transport. Critical aspects of the well-studied segmented slug-flow, such as bubble generation and pump control, can be automated, provided a robust sensor for the reliable determination of velocity, phase lengths, and phase ratio(s) is available. In this work, a fast and low-priced sensor is presented, based on two optical transmission sensors detecting flow characteristics noninvasively together with a microcontroller. The resulting signal is mainly due to refraction of the bubble-specific geometries as shown by a simulation of light paths. The high performance of the processing procedure, utilizing the derivative of the signal, is demonstrated for a bi- and triphasic slug flow. The error of <5% is entirely reasonable for the purpose envisaged. The sensor presented is very fast, robust, and inexpensive, thus enhancing the attractiveness of parallelized capillary reactors for industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microfluidic Sensors 2022)
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