A perspective on magnetic microfluidics: Towards an intelligent future

Abstract

Magnetic microfluidics has been gradually recognized as an area of its own. Both conventional microfluidic platforms have incorporated magnetic actuation for microfluidic operation and microscale object manipulation. Nonetheless, there is still much room for improvement after decades of development. In this Perspective, we first provide a quick review of existing magnetic microfluidic platforms with a focus on the magnetic tools and actuation mechanisms. Next, we discuss several emerging technologies, including magnetic microrobots, additive manufacture, and artificial intelligence, and their potential application in the future development of magnetic microfluidics. We believe that these technologies can eventually inspire highly functional magnetic tools for microfluidic manipulation and coordinated microfluidic control at the system level, which eventually drives magnetic microfluidics into an intelligent system for automated experimentation.