posted on 2021-10-05, 06:04authored byKatariina Solin, Maryam Borghei, Monireh Imani, Tero Kämäräinen, Kaisa Kiri, Tapio Mäkelä, Alexey Khakalo, Hannes Orelma, Patrick A. C. Gane, Orlando J. Rojas
Flexible
and easy-to-use
microfluidic systems are suitable options
for point-of-care diagnostics. Here, we investigate liquid transport
in fluidic channels produced by stencil printing on flexible substrates
as a reproducible and scalable option for diagnostics and paper-based
sensing. Optimal printability and flow profiles were obtained by combining
minerals with cellulose fibrils of two different characteristic dimensions,
in the nano- and microscales, forming channels with ideal wettability.
Biomolecular ligands were easily added by inkjet printing on the channels,
which were tested for the simultaneous detection of glucose and proteins.
Accurate determination of clinically relevant concentrations was possible
from linear calibration, confirming the potential of the introduced
paper-based diagnostics. The results indicate the promise of simple
but reliable fluidic channels for drug and chemical analyses, chromatographic
separation, and quality control.