Microfluidics and Nanofluidics最新文献

{"title":"Dual-analyte colorimetric probe integrated into a 3D microfluidic lab-on-a-chip platform for urinary albumin and creatinine monitoring","authors":"Farah H. Hussein,&nbsp;Zaidon T. Al-aqbi,&nbsp;Wan Nor Roslam Wan Isahak,&nbsp;Abdulkarim Albishri","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02918-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02918-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive disorder that requires early diagnosis and continuous monitoring to prevent irreversible renal damage. Clinically significant indicators of kidney function and disease progression include urinary biomarkers, especially albumin and creatinine. Nevertheless, traditional analytical techniques for their determination are frequently laborious, necessitate centralized laboratory infrastructure, and are not ideal for quick or point-of-care (POC) examination. To address these limitations, this study presents the design and fabrication of a novel three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic device for the simultaneous detection of albumin protein and creatinine in human urine samples from CKD patients. In order to improve fluid handling, mass transfer, and analytical efficiency while reducing sample and reagent usage, the suggested 3D microfluidic design incorporates intricate channel designs. The device reduces operating complexity and analysis time by enabling multiplexed biochemical analysis inside a single compact system. The synthesis of silver nanoparticles AgNPs@BS and copper nanoparticles CuNPs@BS was achieved using <i>Boswellia sacra</i> (BS) as a dual-function phytochemical platform, acting concurrently as both a reducing and stabilizing (capping) agent. The detection process is then based on the aggregation of AgNPs@BS at pH = 11 induced by creatinine and the aggregation of CuNPs@BS induced by albumin, resulting in a distinct and visually observable colour shift. With a regression value (R²) of 0.9837 and a limit of detection (LOD) of 4.52 µg/mL, the AgNPs@BS sensor demonstrated a linear relationship between the A₆₇₀/A₄₀₃ extinction ratio and creatinine concentration range of 20 to 150 µg/mL. Additionally, the CuNPs@BS-based colorimetric assay exhibited a linear relationship between color intensity and albumin concentration over the range of 5–150 µg/mL, with LOD of 3.87 µg/mL. Overall, the developed 3D microfluidic device offers a promising approach for integrated urinary biomarker analysis and represents a step toward portable and POC diagnostic systems for chronic kidney disease monitoring.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148465732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Texture enhanced microTesla pump for artifact free and spike free microfluidic stimulation of (beta) cells","authors":"Mehdi Sh. Yeganeh,&nbsp;Kai Duan,&nbsp;Mohamad Orabi,&nbsp;Jessica Hallgath,&nbsp;Joe F. Lo","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02916-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02916-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Precise control of shear stress is essential for maintaining <span>(beta)</span>-cell physiology in microfluidic perifusion assays, where transient pressure fluctuations can alter glucose-stimulated responses. In this work, we present a boundary-layer-driven microTesla (<span>(mu)</span>Tesla) pump engineered to deliver stable, non-pulsatile flow for shear-sensitive biological studies. Using combined computational fluid dynamics and experimental validation, we examined how surface texturization, slip length, and fluid viscosity collectively influence boundary-layer development, shear distribution, and pump output. The <span>(mu)</span>Tesla II pump produced laminar, viscosity-adaptive flow across Newtonian and non-Newtonian regimes, maintaining consistent outlet velocity even under high-viscosity conditions. Surface textures modulated slip length to enhance viscous coupling, yielding smooth acceleration and reduced startup surges relative to conventional syringe and peristaltic pumps. When applied to <span>(beta)</span>-cell perifusion, <span>(mu)</span>Tesla II minimized flow-induced artifacts, preserving physiological calcium and ATP dynamics during glucose stimulation. Overall, these findings establish the <span>(mu)</span>Tesla II as a low-shear perifusion platform that reduces flow-induced artifacts, improves the reproducibility of short-term flow-based cellular assays, and supports the advancement of organ-on-chip and diabetes research models.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10404-026-02916-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148465733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reaction-induced bubble dynamics control mineral dissolution kinetics at the microscale: insights from microfluidics","authors":"Yingxue Hu,&nbsp;Haozhou Wang,&nbsp;Hanyi Huang,&nbsp;Guanhua He,&nbsp;Zhaolin Gu,&nbsp;Junwei Su","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02914-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02914-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The dynamic evolution of gas–solid–liquid interfaces exert a critical influence on reactive transport in subsurface engineering, including geological CO₂ sequestration and unconventional energy development. However, the microscale interfacial processes by which reaction-induced bubbles regulate mineral dissolution remain poorly understood, owing to the challenge on visualizing in the opaque natural rock. In this work, emerging mineral microfluidic platform was employed to directly visualize and quantify the coupling between CO₂ bubble generation and single calcite dissolution. Three distinct dissolution regimes were identified depending on flow rate and acid concentration, namely bubble-free, bubble-shielding, and bubble-sealing dissolution. At low acid concentration, dissolution proceeds smoothly without bubble formation, and the effective reaction rate increases with flow rate following a power-law trend. Once a critical acid concentration is exceeded, CO₂ bubbles nucleate and grow on the reactive surface, sharply reducing the effective reactive area. Acid transport becomes confined to narrow channels surrounding the bubbles, suggesting a progressive shift from convection-dominated to diffusion-dominated mass transfer. Bubble shielding significantly decreases the effective reaction rate by 81.5% and 93% at 0.1 mol/L and 0.5 mol/L HCl, respectively. At high concentration and high flow rate, bubble coalescence can even completely seal the grain, terminating dissolution with only 13.2% mass loss. These results demonstrate that reaction-induced bubbles exert complex, multifaceted, and dynamically evolving influences on mineral dissolution kinetics, aspects that have been previously underappreciated and insufficiently understood.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148465734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Superhydrophobic silica nano-particle coating on dielectric for droplet transport on digital microfluidic devices","authors":"Swaranjali Shinde,&nbsp;Jayesh Patekari,&nbsp;Mayuresh Kulkarni,&nbsp;Yogesh B. Sawane,&nbsp;Arun Banpurkar","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02911-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02911-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Electrowetting (EW) based devices always demand a top hydrophobic polymer layer coated on a dielectric surface as it enables wide range for contact angle modulation while maintaining minimal contact angle hysteresis. Here, a commercially available silica nanoparticle dispersion (SND) has been investigated as an “off-the shelf” superhydrophobic top coating on dielectric to replace routinely used fluoropolymer layers such as Teflon or Cytop. The SND coating is tested for its wettability, demonstrating a static water contact angle (WCA) of <span>(:{theta:}_{Y}sim151pm:2^circ:)</span> for air and <span>(:163pm:2^circ:)</span> for oil ambient respectively. The proposed coating is extensively tested for EW in oil ambient using AC and DC voltages on dielectric substrates such as Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) and Parylene-C. The SND coating exhibits nearly hysteresis-free EW response across a range of electrowetting number η, 0.37 ≤ η ≤ 0.76. The contact angle modulation of <span>(:varDelta:theta:left(Uright)&gt;50^circ:)</span> is successfully achieved without any appreciable degradation of the dielectric layer over large number of voltage ramping cycles. As a proof of concept, droplet actuations are performed on a PCB based digital microfluidic (DMF) chip comprising a Parylene-C dielectric layer coated with a top SND layer. A maximum droplet transport speed of <span>(:v:=:33.3:mm/s)</span> is achieved at an applied AC voltage of <span>(:Usim115.8:{V}_{rms})</span> demonstrating the potential of the SND as a high performance and fluorine free superhydrophobic coating for EW based DMF devices.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div><div><p>Fluorine-free EW based droplet transport on DMF platform</p></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148465222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of fiber alignment in electrospun mats on capillary-driven microfluidic transport and electrochemical sensing","authors":"Hanako Asai,&nbsp;Remi Kunieda,&nbsp;Aoi Morita,&nbsp;Eiichiro Takamura","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02909-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02909-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Electrospun nanofiber mats are promising materials for capillary-driven microfluidic devices because their nanoscale inter-fiber spaces can generate strong capillary forces. In this study, we fabricated capillary-driven microfluidic transport systems using electrospun nanofiber mats with different degrees of fiber alignment and investigated the effect of fiber alignment on capillary-driven liquid transport and the minimum solution volume required for electrochemical sensing by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Fully hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was used as the nanofiber material, and annealing treatment was applied to impart water resistance. Fiber alignment was controlled by adjusting the rotational speed of the collector and the nozzle-to-collector distance during electrospinning (ES). The minimum measurable solution volume was reduced to 3 µL for the aligned nanofiber mats, whereas 4 µL was required for the randomly oriented mats. Based on the Lucas–Washburn framework, an effective capillary transport coefficient (<i>K</i> = <i>h</i>²/<i>t)</i> was introduced to quantitatively discuss the transport behavior. The largest enhancement was observed for the aligned nanofiber mat prepared at 1200 rpm and annealed at 160 °C, which exhibited a 4.4-fold higher <i>K</i> value than the randomly oriented mats prepared at 500 rpm.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10404-026-02909-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148394840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advancing experimental models of catheters associated urinary tract infection research: from traditional to microfluidic platforms","authors":"Antara Tandi,&nbsp;Shristi Panigrahi,&nbsp;Shraavani Konatam,&nbsp;Dijendra Nath Roy","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02897-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02897-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) pose a significant challenge in clinical settings due to bacterial colonization and biofilm formation on indwelling catheters. Conventional models, including in vitro and ex vivo systems with artificial urine flow, have historically facilitated the exploration of catheter efficacy and antimicrobial interventions. Nevertheless, these models often exhibit shortcomings, including substantial resource requirements, ethical dilemmas, and limited physiological mimicking with correct relevance. Recent innovations in microfluidic technology, exemplified by organ-on-a-chip systems, present a promising alternative by accurately simulating the human urinary tract milieu under dynamic conditions. This article presents a comparative examination of traditional urinary tract models and microfluidic devices, elucidating their respective capabilities, constraints, and applications in the development of antimicrobial drugs using urinary tract infection experimental models. Through this comparison, the manuscript emphasizes the enhanced precision, scalability, and real-time analytical capabilities of microfluidic platforms while also recognizing the fundamental contributions of conventional models. The findings aim to inform future inquiries and advances in catheter technology, advocating a hybrid methodology that leverages the strengths of both systems to improve infection management and antimicrobial drug development research.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148394837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of contraction structures on capillary flow characteristics on paper-based microfluidic strips","authors":"Feng Shen,&nbsp;Dongwei Li,&nbsp;Jiahui Du,&nbsp;Zhaomiao Liu","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02913-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02913-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Paper-based microfluidics has emerged as a promising platform for point-of-care testing (POCT) owing to its capillary-driven flow, low cost, and portability. Geometric modification is a widely adopted strategy for regulating paper-based capillary flow, yet its underlying flow-control mechanisms remain insufficiently understood, and relevant design optimization relies largely on empirical experience. This study combines dye flow visualization experiments and numerical simulations to systematically investigate the effects of contraction geometric parameters (width, length, inlet angle and outlet angle) on capillary flow behavior in rectangular paper strips. The results demonstrate that contraction geometries effectively modulate the mean front speed, flow rate, and fluid front evolution. As the contraction width increases from 2 mm to the uncontracted width of 10 mm, the average front speed declines by 38.1%. Increasing the inlet angle shortens the fluid propagation time through the contraction region, whereas a larger outlet angle suppresses axial transport by enhancing transverse fluid redistribution. Moreover, non-uniform propagation of the fluid front is identified as a distinctive flow phenomenon. The results clarify the geometry-dependent capillary flow mechanism and could provide practical guidelines for the structural design and precise flow regulation of high-performance paper-based microfluidic devices.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148394839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experimental study of flow rate ratio effects on plug flow hydrodynamics in a T-junction rectangular microchannel","authors":"Mohammed Said,&nbsp;Souad Harmand","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02908-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02908-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The influence of the flow rate ratio on plug hydrodynamics is investigated experimentally in a rectangular T-junction microchannel under different conditions, where water plugs are dispersed in a silicone oil carrier phase. The study examines plug length, generation frequency, velocity, and shape. The results show that the resultant forces at the junction, characterised by the two-phase capillary number <i>Ca</i>_<i>TP</i>, predominantly govern all plug characteristics. Under constant <i>Ca</i>_<i>TP</i>, the plug length increases linearly with the flow rate ratio, while the generation frequency remains within the range of 41–55 Hz. Plug velocity is primarily controlled by the liquid film thickness, which varies with the flow rate ratio, whereas plug shape is only weakly influenced by this parameter. These findings enhance understanding of two-phase plug flow in microchannels and provide valuable insights for controlling plug flow regimes in microelectronic cooling applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148323484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimization of mRNA thermal release on an integrated microfluidic platform by a complex system response method","authors":"Swati T. Gurme,&nbsp;Yi-Cheng Tsai,&nbsp;Bhushan Koparde,&nbsp;Da-Jeng Yao,&nbsp;Lily Hui-Ching Wang,&nbsp;Gwo-Bin Lee","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02910-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02910-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Non-poly(A) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) purification remains a critical bottleneck for cell-free translation platforms like <i>tr</i>anscription-translation coupled with the <i>a</i>ssociation of <i>p</i>uromycin linker (TRAP) display for peptide screening, where sub-optimal thermal release can compromise results. Herein, we demonstrate a “complex system response” approach for optimizing thermal elution from probe-coated magnetic beads. Using an orthogonal array composite design with two optimization rounds (17 three-factor + 9 two-factor experiments), we systematically explored temperature (60–95 °C), time (5–30 min), pH (7–9), and their interactions, revealing an unanticipated optimum of 60 °C for 23.5 min at pH 9 (vs. conventional protocols of 90 °C for 10 min). These conditions were associated with a maximum release efficiency of 71 ± 7% with 10 pM mRNA, sufficient for downstream TRAP library construction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10404-026-02910-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148323483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Single-transducer tweezers based on bulk acoustic waves without standing waves","authors":"Akash Roy,&nbsp;Baptiste Neff,&nbsp;Kianoush Sadeghian Esfahani,&nbsp;Anik Sengupta,&nbsp;Eun S. Kim","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02907-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02907-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This work presents a physics-guided design, optimization, fabrication, and experimental validation of Fresnel-ring-based single-transducer acoustic tweezers capable of precise three-dimensional manipulation of microparticles in liquid without reliance on (or being hampered by) standing waves. A planar piezoelectric transducer patterned with concentric half-wavelength annular electrodes is engineered to generate three axially separated focal points whose constructive interference forms a spatially enclosed radiation-force potential well. By systematically optimizing the inter-focal spacing using Finite Element Modeling (FEM), we establish quantitative design rules that link the primary focal length, inter-focal distance, trapping-zone geometry, and particle-size selectivity. Hydrophone-based three-dimensional pressure mapping validates the simulated acoustic field and confirms the formation of a well-defined low-pressure region bounded by surrounding high-pressure lobes. Experimental results demonstrate robust, size-selective confinement of microspheres and stable trapping of large biological specimens, including a 700 μm zebrafish embryo, at user-defined axial distances from the transducer surface. The observed trapping behavior agrees with theoretical predictions based on acoustic radiation force scaling and streaming-induced drag. By explicitly correlating focal configuration, radiation potential landscape, and particle-size-dependent stability, this study establishes a scalable, microfabrication-compatible framework for single-transducer acoustic tweezers. The technology based on multi-focal acoustic tweezers enables programmable trapping size, trapping position, selective manipulation, and controlled particle lifting and ejection, providing a versatile platform for advanced BioMEMS applications and next-generation contactless micromanipulation systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10404-026-02907-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148281246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}