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Lab-on-a-Chip Technology

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2019) | Viewed by 25755

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lab-on-a-chip technology is enabling revolutionary influences on biochemistry and presents a whole new class of miniaturized analysis systems for chemical and biological applications. The lab-on-a-chip devices, or so-called micro total analysis systems (μTAS) deal with minute amounts of fluids (pL–nL) in channels with a size of tens to hundreds of micrometers, therefore presenting many opportunities including great economy of sample and reagents, less reaction waste, rapid analysis time, cost effectiveness, compactness and portability, high throughput, and the ability to multiplex and automate. The concept of scaling and integration in microfluidics has revived great interests and been widely adopted in biomedical research. The aim of this special issue is to provide an opportunity for researchers to publish their latest researches and developments related to lab-on-a-chip or microfluidic technologies, including Fundamentals in Micro/Nanofluidics, Micro/Nanofabrication, Droplets, Electrowetting, Electrokinetics, Valves and Pumps, Acoustofluidics, Optofluidics, Organ-on-a-chip, and their applications in chemical and biological analysis.

Below is a list of potential topics, but are not limited to:

  • Fundamentals in Micro/Nanofluidics,
  • Micro/Nanofabrication,
  • Droplets,
  • Electrowetting,
  • Electrokinetics,
  • Valves and Pumps,
  • Acoustofluidics,
  • Optofluidics,
  • Organ-on-a-chip,
  • Integrated Microfluidic Platforms,
  • Microfluidics for DNA, protein and biomolecular analysis,
  • Lab-on-chip for chemical anaylsis,
  • Lab-on-chip for biosensing;
  • Lab-on-chip based biosensor;
  •  .......

Prof. Jikui Luo
Dr. Zhen Cao
Prof. Shurong Dong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3232 KiB  
Article
A Tunable Freeform-Segmented Reflector in a Microfluidic System for Conventional and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
by Qing Liu, Michael Stenbæk Schmidt, Hugo Thienpont and Heidi Ottevaere
Sensors 2020, 20(5), 1250; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20051250 - 25 Feb 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3868
Abstract
We present a freeform-segmented reflector-based microfluidic system for conventional Raman and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) analysis. The segmented reflector is directly designed by a numerical approach. The polymer-based Raman system strongly suppresses the undesirable background because it enables confocal detection of Raman scattering [...] Read more.
We present a freeform-segmented reflector-based microfluidic system for conventional Raman and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) analysis. The segmented reflector is directly designed by a numerical approach. The polymer-based Raman system strongly suppresses the undesirable background because it enables confocal detection of Raman scattering through the combination of a freeform reflector and a microfluidic chip. We perform systematic simulations using non-sequential ray tracing with the Henyey-Greenstein model to assess the Raman scattering behavior of the substance under test. We fabricate the freeform reflector and the microfluidic chip by means of ultra-precision diamond turning and laser cutting respectively. We demonstrate the confocal behavior by measuring the Raman spectrum of ethanol. Besides, we calibrate the setup by performing Raman measurements on urea and potassium nitrate solutions with different concentrations. The detection limit of our microfluidic system is approximately 20 mM according to the experiment. Finally, we implement a SERS microfluidic chip and discriminate 100 µM urea and potassium nitrate solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lab-on-a-Chip Technology)
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11 pages, 2772 KiB  
Article
Photolithography Fabricated Spacer Arrays Offering Mechanical Strengthening and Oil Motion Control in Electrowetting Displays
by Yingying Dou, Lin Chen, Hui Li, Biao Tang, Alex Henzen and Guofu Zhou
Sensors 2020, 20(2), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20020494 - 15 Jan 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2883
Abstract
Introducing spacers into pixelated electrowetting displays (EWDs) normally gives mechanical strengthening, while bringing undesired disturbance of water/oil interfacial dynamics. Hence, spacer array is a key pixel structure needs careful consideration in the design and fabrication of electrowetting displays. Here, we propose a spacer [...] Read more.
Introducing spacers into pixelated electrowetting displays (EWDs) normally gives mechanical strengthening, while bringing undesired disturbance of water/oil interfacial dynamics. Hence, spacer array is a key pixel structure needs careful consideration in the design and fabrication of electrowetting displays. Here, we propose a spacer array, which is designed standing on the junction of adjacent pixel walls, fabricated by photolithography. The spacer array provides mechanical strength enhancement and reliable oil motion controllability. By optimizing the spacer distribution density, the EWD device may achieve 28% increase in open ratio (white area fraction) and withstand 60 N/mm2 pressure. This design of spacer array reasonably solves the contradiction between mechanical strength enhancement and optoelectronic performance in EWDs, providing potential applications in oil–water two-phase microfluidic devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lab-on-a-Chip Technology)
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11 pages, 1846 KiB  
Article
Hydrogel Microparticles Functionalized with Engineered Escherichia coli as Living Lactam Biosensors
by Conghui Ma, Jie Li, Boyin Zhang, Chenxi Liu, Jingwei Zhang and Yifan Liu
Sensors 2019, 19(24), 5556; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19245556 - 16 Dec 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4618
Abstract
Recently there has been an increasing need for synthesizing valued chemicals through biorefineries. Lactams are an essential family of commodity chemicals widely used in the nylon industry with annual production of millions of tons. The bio-production of lactams can substantially benefit from high-throughput [...] Read more.
Recently there has been an increasing need for synthesizing valued chemicals through biorefineries. Lactams are an essential family of commodity chemicals widely used in the nylon industry with annual production of millions of tons. The bio-production of lactams can substantially benefit from high-throughput lactam sensing strategies for lactam producer screening. We present here a robust and living lactam biosensor that is directly compatible with high-throughput analytical means. The biosensor is a hydrogel microparticle encapsulating living microcolonies of engineered lactam-responsive Escherichia coli. The microparticles feature facile and ultra-high throughput manufacturing of up to 10,000,000 per hour through droplet microfluidics. We show that the biosensors can specifically detect major lactam species in a dose-dependent manner, which can be quantified using flow cytometry. The biosensor could potentially be used for high-throughput metabolic engineering of lactam biosynthesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lab-on-a-Chip Technology)
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11 pages, 5087 KiB  
Article
Design and Analyses of a Transdermal Drug Delivery Device (TD3)
by Jennifer García, Ismael Ríos and Faruk Fonthal Rico
Sensors 2019, 19(23), 5090; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19235090 - 21 Nov 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2809
Abstract
In this paper, we introduce a novel type of transdermal drug delivery device (TD3) with a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) design using computer-aided design (CAD) techniques as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations regarding the fluid interaction inside the device during [...] Read more.
In this paper, we introduce a novel type of transdermal drug delivery device (TD3) with a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) design using computer-aided design (CAD) techniques as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations regarding the fluid interaction inside the device during the actuation process. For the actuation principles of the chamber and microvalve, both thermopneumatic and piezoelectric principles are employed respectively, originating that the design perfectly integrates those principles through two different components, such as a micropump with integrated microvalves and a microneedle array. The TD3 has shown to be capable of delivering a volumetric flow of 2.92 × 10−5 cm3/s with a 6.6 Hz membrane stroke frequency. The device only needs 116 Pa to complete the suction process and 2560 Pa to complete the discharge process. A 38-microneedle array with 450 µm in length fulfills the function of permeating skin, allowing that the fluid reaches the desired destination and avoiding any possible pain during the insertion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lab-on-a-Chip Technology)
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11 pages, 2097 KiB  
Article
Battery Powered Portable Thermal Cycler for Continuous-Flow Polymerase Chain Reaction Diagnosis by Single Thermostatic Thermoelectric Cooler and Open-Loop Controller
by Di Wu and Wenming Wu
Sensors 2019, 19(7), 1609; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19071609 - 03 Apr 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5791
Abstract
Temperature control is the most important and fundamental part of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To date, there have been several methods to realize the periodic heating and cooling of the thermal-cycler system for continuous-flow PCR reactions, and three of them were widely [...] Read more.
Temperature control is the most important and fundamental part of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To date, there have been several methods to realize the periodic heating and cooling of the thermal-cycler system for continuous-flow PCR reactions, and three of them were widely used: the thermo-cycled thermoelectric cooler (TEC), the heating block, and the thermostatic heater. In the present study, a new approach called open-loop controlled single thermostatic TEC was introduced to control the thermal cycle during the amplification process. Differing from the former three methods, the size of this microdevice is much smaller, especially when compared to the microdevice used in the heating block method. Furthermore, the rising and cooling speed of this method is much rapider than that in a traditional TEC cycler, and is nearly 20–30% faster than a single thermostatic heater. Thus, a portable PCR system was made without any external heat source, and only a Teflon tube-wrapped TEC chip was used to achieve the continuous-flow PCR reactions. This provides an efficient way to reduce the size of the system and simplify it. In addition, through further experiments, the microdevice is not only found to be capable of amplification of a PCR product from Human papillomavirus type 49 (Genbank ref: X74480.1) and Rubella virus (RUBV), but also enables clinical diagnostics, such as a test for hepatitis B virus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lab-on-a-Chip Technology)
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Review

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36 pages, 4131 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress in Lab-On-a-Chip Systems for the Monitoring of Metabolites for Mammalian and Microbial Cell Research
by Esma Dervisevic, Kellie L. Tuck, Nicolas H. Voelcker and Victor J. Cadarso
Sensors 2019, 19(22), 5027; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19225027 - 18 Nov 2019
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 5162
Abstract
Lab-on-a-chip sensing technologies have changed how cell biology research is conducted. This review summarises the progress in the lab-on-a-chip devices implemented for the detection of cellular metabolites. The review is divided into two subsections according to the methods used for the metabolite detection. [...] Read more.
Lab-on-a-chip sensing technologies have changed how cell biology research is conducted. This review summarises the progress in the lab-on-a-chip devices implemented for the detection of cellular metabolites. The review is divided into two subsections according to the methods used for the metabolite detection. Each section includes a table which summarises the relevant literature and also elaborates the advantages of, and the challenges faced with that particular method. The review continues with a section discussing the achievements attained due to using lab-on-a-chip devices within the specific context. Finally, a concluding section summarises what is to be resolved and discusses the future perspectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lab-on-a-Chip Technology)
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