Microfluidics and Nanofluidics最新文献

{"title":"Acoustophoretic migration of a microparticle in immiscible coflowing liquids","authors":"S. Z. Hoque,&nbsp;D. Ghosh,&nbsp;A. K. Sen","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02896-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02896-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We investigate acoustophoretic migration of a microparticle suspended in an immiscible coflowing liquid system inside a microchannel actuated with bulk acoustic waves. A three-dimensional acoustic model with hard-wall boundary conditions is developed to resolve resonance modes of the two-liquid system and to compute the acoustic radiation force (ARF) using perturbation theory and a tensor-integral formulation. Simulations quantify how density and sound-speed contrasts across the liquid-liquid interface alter the resonance frequency, pressure nodal location, and ARF magnitude. In experiments with coflow system with matched impedances, the ARF field resembles that of a single-phase medium, rendering particle migration largely insensitive to the interface position. Experiments using PEG-Dextran coflows confirm stable interface and show that a single particle consistently moves toward the pressure nodal plane under resonant actuation. Incorporating the 3D-computed ARF into transient two-phase simulations yields particle trajectories in excellent agreement with measurements. Together, our numerical-experimental study provides new insight into acoustically driven particle transport in layered microflow systems and establishes a predictive basis for acoustophoretic manipulation in multiphase microfluidics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147738350","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":"Establishment of a humanized glomerular basement membrane on a dual-channel microfluidic chip using co-cultured human renal endothelial cells and podocytes","authors":"Marwa Al Hassan,&nbsp;Jumanah Bahig,&nbsp;Katalin Szaszi,&nbsp;Huu Doan,&nbsp;Ahmed Shoker,&nbsp;Amira Abdelrasoul","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02892-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02892-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier is essential for kidney function, with glomerular endothelial cells and podocytes playing critical roles. However, traditional <i>in vitro</i> models, which typically rely on mouse-derived cells, are limited in replicating the complex crosstalk between these cells, hindering progress in kidney research and dialysis treatment. To address this gap, we developed a glomerulus-on-a-chip model using human glomerular endothelial cells and podocytes co-cultured within a microfluidic system. Using this model, we investigated how the co-culture of glomerular endothelial cells and podocytes influences the structural features and cellular organization of the filtration barrier. The chip featured two parallel microfluidic channels separated by a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membrane. The system was optimized to support the formation of a humanized glomerular basement membrane (GBM). In our glomerulus-on-a-chip model, glomerular endothelial cells and podocytes were cultured on opposite sides of the membrane, utilizing a collagen I coating derived from rat tail. Structural barrier organization was notably enhanced when glomerular endothelial cells were co-cultured with podocytes, compared to when either cell type was cultured alone. We employed confocal microscopy and cell trackers to monitor cell morphology and interactions. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed significant improvements in structural organization and cellular alignment. We introduce an innovative glomerulus-on-a-chip co-culture model and, for the first time, demonstrate that co-culturing glomerular endothelial cells with podocytes influences their morphology within the model. Additionally, we show that co-culturing both cell types leads to the formation of a GBM with well-defined structural characteristics. The optimal ratio of glomerular endothelial cells to podocytes was determined to be 1:1, ensuring a structurally organized representation of the glomerular interface. This model provides a promising platform for advancing our understanding of kidney filtration and serves as a valuable tool for developing dialysis membranes.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147737388","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":"An intelligent multi-scale detection system for particle detection and automated splitting of particle-free droplets in digital microfluidic systems","authors":"Kunlun Guo,&nbsp;Juyue Dong,&nbsp;Junyu Zhang,&nbsp;Zerui Song,&nbsp;Huifeng Wang","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02893-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02893-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Digital microfluidics (DMF) enable programmable manipulation of droplets, but the inevitable generation of microscopic particles necessitates the isolation of particle-free droplets for downstream analysis. Manual inspection is labor-intensive and impractical for high-throughput scales. We propose an integrated DMF system featuring a multi-scale object detection model based on YOLOv8 to achieve automated particle identification and droplet manipulation. Our model incorporates higher-resolution detection layers and an Efficient Local Attention module to overcome challenges posed by extreme scale differences and dense spatial distributions. Experimental results demonstrate that the model achieves a mean Average Precision (mAP@0.5) of 96.9% and a low counting error (MAE = 3.6) across various particle densities. Furthermore, we successfully implemented a real-time, visually guided workflow for automated splitting of particle-free droplets with a success rate of 94.0%. This system provides a robust foundation for automated quality control in high-throughput DMF-based biochemical assays.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147737387","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":"Introduction to the simple setup microfluidic system for the dynamic culture of HepG2 cell line","authors":"Hoang Mai Thanh Truc,&nbsp;Huynh Huu Tinh,&nbsp;Truong Hai Nhung,&nbsp;Thanh-Qua Nguyen,&nbsp;Le Van Trinh","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02895-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02895-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study aimed to develop a simplified microfluidic culture system for HepG2 cells and to investigate the effects of fluid shear stress (FSS) on cellular morphology, proliferation, nuclear morphology, and autophagy-related responses. A PDMS-based microfluidic device was fabricated using soft lithography and integrated into a closed-loop perfusion system. HepG2 cells were cultured under static or flow conditions, with continuous medium perfusion at a defined flow velocity of 2.42 mm/s for 24 h to generate low FSS. A streamlined microfluidic platform was successfully fabricated and applied to generate controlled dynamic culture conditions. Continuous perfusion at a flow velocity of 2.42 mm/s for 24 h produced low FSS ranging from 0.014 to 0.04 dyn/cm². Under flow conditions, HepG2 cell numbers were significantly reduced compared with those in static culture. Morphologically, cells exposed to FSS exhibited a transition from polygonal to more elongated shapes. Nuclear area increased by approximately 1.4-fold under flow conditions. In addition, immunofluorescence analysis revealed a marked upregulation of the autophagy-related gene ATG5 in response to FSS. The proposed microfluidic system provides a simple platform for investigating the effects of low FSS on HepG2 cells.</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 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147642699","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":"Bubble-assisted micromixing via thermally excited intrinsic air within microfluidic systems","authors":"Seyed Shahriar Riazi,&nbsp;Seyed Mostafa Hosseinalipour","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02888-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02888-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The micromixing process in small-scale systems is of central importance in many applications where high surface-area-to-volume ratio outweighs the influence of interfacial tension manipulation achieved by introducing a secondary phase to the main flow to enhance the otherwise diffusion-dominant mass transfer operation. In this paper, we introduce an easily integrable continuous flow micromixing scheme implemented on a Y-shape microchannel based on thermally generated bubbles. The generation of Bretherton-like bubbles with millisecond lifespans, followed by their breakup into tiny spherical daughter bubbles moving downstream, is considered a major reason in augmenting the micromixing process. The performance of the micromixer is characterized in terms of the mixing index (MI), and it is shown that immediately ahead of the microheater, the MI exceeds 95% for side-by-side flowing of water at different overall flowrates, namely 4, 10, and 20 µL/min. The emergence of bubbles can be attributed, on one hand, to trapped air in the liquid and/or tiny crevices—particularly in water, where the formation of bubbles may appear at temperatures below normal boiling point. On the other hand, it can also result from superheating beyond the equilibrium boiling temperature, especially in mixtures of water and glycerol. Finally, we quantitatively describe the ephemeral role of emerging elongated bubbles in the micromixing process by extracting their growth rates and nucleation period, and by drawing an analogy with bubble generation in a T-junction microfluidic device.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147642701","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":"Fluidic stresses alter bacterial virulence: the effect of different physiological fluids","authors":"Siddhant Jain,&nbsp;Anmol Singh,&nbsp;Shafinaz Tayaba,&nbsp;Abhishek Biswas,&nbsp;Dipshikha Chakravortty,&nbsp;Saptarshi Basu","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02889-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02889-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We investigate the proliferation of <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> in macrophages, after being stressed inside microchannels in different fluidic media. In the present study, we consider three fluidic mediums, a nutrient deficit and a nutrient rich media along with MilliQ water to assess whether bacteria exhibit higher virulence in presence of nutrients. Our results suggest that bacterial virulence is weakly dependent on the fluidic nutrients for the given period of stressing time and magnitude. Rather, we observe that the intracellular proliferation of stressed bacterial cells is highly sensitive to the shear rate. The study finds importance in optimizing bioreactor designs, medical implant and organ-on-a-chip devices.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147606953","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":"3D printed electrochemical origami-paper integrated cell chamber (EO-PICC) engineered with hierarchical nanocomposites for achieving unparalleled sensitivity in methamphetamine drug detection","authors":"Nigar Anzar,&nbsp;Yashda Singh,&nbsp;Shariq Suleman,&nbsp;Jagriti Narang","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02891-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02891-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A three-dimensional electrochemical origami-paper integrated cell chamber (3DP EO-PICC) that detects methamphetamine, an illicit drug, at a minimum concentration of 0.01 µg/mL is presented in this study. The sensor was made from an ecologically friendly polylactic acid (PLA) filament with a single foldable origami flap and a central reaction chamber for loading samples onto the paper printed electrode. The electrode acts as a reaction chamber where analyte interact with the pre-deposited zinc oxide &amp; graphene oxide nanocomposite (ZnO-GO NCs), which is manufactured using a chemical reduction technique. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used for the detection of methamphetamine (Meth), proving the sensor’s excellent sensitivity. Integrating 3D printing with nano-biosensing devices allow accurate spatial positioning of nanoscale components, improves analyte interaction via greater surface area, and enables adjustable sensor designs. This technique facilitates the inclusion of complicated structures into sensor design while also enabling scalable, cost-effective manufacture, opening the way for creative and practical biosensing platforms.</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 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147606948","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":"Early sepsis diagnosis using machine learning–augmented plasmon-enhanced biosensors","authors":"Faris A. Almalki,&nbsp;Kholod D. Alsufiani","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02890-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02890-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rapid and prompt diagnosis of sepsis is crucial in alleviating death and timely provision of therapeutic care. This work describes a multimodal biosensing solution based on the plasmon-enhanced biosensing system combined with machine learning (ML) algorithms to detect sepsis early biomarkers multiplexically and at the point of care. In this study, a hybrid surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensor was developed and built, which was bioreceptor-receptor engineered to detect a panel of biomarkers, such as procalcitonin, interleukin-6, lactate, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Bench top experiments, as well as simulated clinical data, indicate that the ML-augmented plasmonic sensor has high sensitivity and specificity allowing it to give early-warning capabilities that are better than those of conventional sensors. A microfluidic means of integration and edge computing to perform quick analysis also support point-of-care deployment within this integrated platform.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147561637","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":"Investigation on the characteristics of water transport in nanochannels under an electric field","authors":"Fuquan Song,&nbsp;Fei Gao,&nbsp;Yapu Zhang,&nbsp;Wenyang Shi","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02885-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02885-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fluid transport in nanochannels driven by an electric field is a promising approach for shale oil and gas extraction and membrane separation. However, the fundamental mechanism of this process under the combined conditions of nanoconfinement and geological formations is not fully understood. This study constructs an alumina nanochannel system with pore diameters ranging from 26.1 to 206.2 nm. Pressure-driven experiments (0.01–0.1 MPa) were conducted to compare the transport characteristics of deionized water and simulated formation water (2% KCl). During these experiments, electric fields were applied either parallel or perpendicular to the flow direction. The objective was to decouple the interconnected influences of nanoconfinement, ion effects, and the electric field. The results demonstrate that measured flow rates were lower than the values predicted by the classical Hagen-Poiseuille theory in all experimental scenarios. The effect of the electric field on flow was ion-dependent. For deionized water, the electric field did not alter the flow rate. In contrast, for the simulated formation water, a parallel electric field increased the flow rate by an average of 14.3%, and a perpendicular electric field increased it by an average of 5.5%. Through systematic experiments, this study reveals the combined effects of nanoscale confinement, electric field, and ionic environment on fluid transport. The multi-parameter control design allows for the differentiation of influences from various mechanisms that affect flow rate changes, providing a theoretical basis for understanding transport phenomena in nanochannels under complex conditions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441548","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":"Electrothermal coupling and joule heating effects in metachronal cilia-driven peristaltic electroosmotic flow of ionic liquids in microfluidic system","authors":"S. Ravikumar","doi":"10.1007/s10404-026-02878-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10404-026-02878-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The present research provides a detailed theoretical and analytical exploration of electrothermal interactions and Joule heating phenomena in metachronal cilia-induced peristaltic electroosmotic transport of ionic liquids through microchannels. The main focus lies in examining how the combined influence of an external magnetic field, dynamic ciliary movement, electroosmotic flow, and internal heat generation governs microscale fluid dynamics in biomimetic microfluidic environments. The complex nonlinear equations governing momentum, energy, and electric potential are reformulated into nondimensional form under the assumptions of long wavelength and negligible inertia. Closed-form analytical expressions are derived using boundary conditions that incorporate ciliary wave motion, electric double-layer structure, and validated electroosmotic slip relationships grounded in the Poisson–Boltzmann and Nernst–Planck formulations. The multiphysical coupling demonstrates that stronger magnetic fields markedly decelerate the fluid owing to Lorentz-force-induced resistance, whereas Hall current contributions enhance motion by counteracting magnetic drag. Intensified electroosmotic strength magnifies double-layer interactions adjacent to the walls, thus improving fluid conveyance. Flow modulation through porous channel layers is dictated by the Darcy parameter - larger values diminish hydrodynamic opposition and promote throughput. Ciliary dimensions and eccentricity significantly determine propulsion efficiency and drag response. Thermal contributions from Joule heating and radiative transfer enlarge thermal boundary regions and alter viscosity distribution, thereby influencing the overall stability and flow rate. Comparison with benchmark numerical findings validates the analytical framework and confirms its computational reliability. This integrative multiphysics model deepens the understanding of cilia-driven electroosmotic mechanisms and offers valuable design guidelines for microchannel systems utilizing ionic liquids, relevant to biomedical, energy, and microchemical technologies requiring controlled electrothermal pumping at the microscale.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":706,"journal":{"name":"Microfluidics and Nanofluidics","volume":"30 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147383157","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}