Microfluidic devices with electrochemical detection towards Covid-19 detection

Abstract

Over the decades, scientists have made efforts to enhance the performance of analytical procedures whether by creating simpler and faster assays, eliminating unnecessary/laborious steps or by improvements on hardware setup. In this context, microfluidics is the science related to manipulation and control of fluids physically constrained to submillimeter dimensions. This field emerged due to the use of microfabrication techniques for microelectronics purposes such as microchips and microcircuits. As an immediate consequence, the miniaturization of components either by creating new types of microstructures or recreating existing structures (e.g. channels, valves, storage containers, pumps, couplers,) allows the possibility of an entire laboratory in a single micro-sized device (Squires and Quake in RMP 77:977-1026, 2005 1), performing remarkable tasks in biological and chemical (Chiu et al. in Chem 2:201-223, 2017; Alam et al. in Anal Chim Acta 1044:29-65, 2018; Velve-Casquillas et al. in Nano Today 5:28-47, 2010 [2-4]) analysis. Especially for analytical chemistry, a direct consequence of the miniaturization of hardware dimensions impact on less consumption of reagents and minimum sample amount, typically nano or picoliter volumes and hence reduction of chemical waste.