Microfluidic Devices Made With Fibers, Yarns And Fabrics

Microfluidics is the branch of science that deals with the behavior of fluids through microchannels. It also deals with the technology of manufacturing miniaturized devices containing chambers and tunnels through which fluids can flow or remain confined. These devices work with very small volumes of fluids, down to 1 cc or so.

Fluids behave very differently on the micrometric scale than in bulk quantities. The unique features and behaviors of tiny volumes of fluids absorbed into microchannels play unique detection and diagnostic roles in new scientific experiments and various emerging devices. Textiles rapidly emerge as the cheapest and most versatile components of microfluidic devices.

Polymers are widely used to fabricate microfluidic devices. Both thermoplastics and thermosets have found extensive use. Their preference is because they are robust, inexpensive, and stable under strong biochemical environments. The availability of a wide range of polymeric materials and the possibility of modifying their properties through chemical and thermal means are other factors that govern their popularity.

Hydrophilic multifilament threads can transport aqueous and non-aqueous fluids via capillary action and possess desirable properties for building fluid transport pathways in microfluidic devices. In recent years, low-cost microfluidic devices based on mono and multifilament threads and fabricated…