Researchers in the US have demonstrated that the speed of fluid in a paper microfluidic device can be controlled by sugar solutions dried onto the paper.
Many chemical tests require washing steps and the addition of reagents in a precisely timed sequence. These steps can be controlled manually, but if they are automated there is less room for human error.
Conceptual illustration (left) and folding card format (right) of paper with dissolvable delays for automated multi-step assay
Read the original Chemistry World article here.
Dissolvable fluidic time delays for programming multi-step assays in instrument-free paper diagnostics
Barry Lutz, Tinny Liang, Elain Fu, Sujatha Ramachandran, Peter Kauffmana and Paul Yagera
Lab Chip, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3LC50178G
