ACS Press Release

Thread as a versatile material for low-cost microfluidic diagnostics

19 February 2010
 

 
Close up image of cotton thread. Image: Wei Shen
Scientists at Monash are reporting the first use of ordinary cotton thread and sewing needles to literally stitch together a microfluidic analytical device — microscopic technology that can transport fluids for medical tests and other purposes in a lab-on-a-chip. The chips shrink room-sized diagnostic testing equipment down to the size of a postage stamp, and promise revolutionary applications in medicine, environmental sensing, and other areas. Their study is in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, a monthly journal.
 
Wei Shen and colleagues note that the development of low-cost "lab-on-a-chip" diagnostic tests has become an attractive area of research. Existing devices require etching microscopic channels onto slivers of silicon, glass, ceramics, or metal in a costly, complicated process. The scientists set out to find an alternative, and did so with cotton thread, which wicks fluids along its tiny fibers.
 
They stitched thread into paper to form microfluidic sensors capable of detecting and measuring substances released in the urine of patients with several human medical conditions. "The fabrication of thread-based microfluidic devices is simple and relatively low cost because it requires only sewing needles or household sewing machines," the report said. "Our results demonstrate that thread is a suitable material for fabricating microfluidic diagnostic devices for monitoring human health, environment and food safety, especially for the population in less-industrialized areas or remote regions." 

Thread can be used to fabricate 3D and semiquantitative microfluidic analytical devices. An advantage of using thread as the liquid transporting channels is that it does not need patterned barriers. Another advantage of using thread or thread with other porous materials such as paper to fabricate microfluidic devices is that these devices can be fabricated with basic tools; the reliance on modern equipment is reduced.
 
Certain simple devices may even be fabricated by a skilled work force within the textile industry in developing regions. It can be envisaged that thread, either alone or with other materials, can be used to fabricate a family of microfluidic diagnostic devices suitable for colorimetric, electrochemical, chemiluminescent, electrochemiluminesent assays and electrophoresis. The low-cost, flexible, and versatile nature of thread will allow this ancient material to have new applications in disposable microfluidic devices, advanced textile and personal care products, healthcare, and environmental sensors.

"Thread as a Versatile Material for Low-Cost Microfluidic Diagnostics" http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/am9006148
 
CONTACT:
Wei Shen, Associate Professor
Australian Pulp and Paper Institute
Department of Chemical Engineering

 

Send mail to Wei.Shen@eng.monash.edu.au with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 02/24/10