Griffith researchers are unlocking the secrets of the elasticity of microfluidics and paving the way for wearable medical devices and organ-on-a-chip research tools for broad applications.
Feats of engineering allow us to control the flow of fluids, both liquids and gases, and move resources such as water to where they are needed on a large scale. However, while it might seem like the field of fluid dynamics is well established, there is still a lot to be learnt about fluid control on the microscale.
Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen, Dr Jun Zhang, Dr Navid Kashaninejad, Dr Khoa Nguyen Tuan and their colleagues at the Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre (QMNC), Griffith University, undertake research that spans across microfluidics, materials development, microsystems, microelectronics and biomedicine.
The team provide key fundamental knowledge with a broad scope to make major positive contributions to many industries.
Fluids flowing through microscale channels, including biofluids in our bodies such as sweat and blood, behave differently than those found on a large scale. Researchers at QMNC study factors such as surface tension and roughness, temperature, fluid viscosity and elasticity to determine how tiny fluids can be controlled and their components analysed.
Extracting microparticles including cells, bacteria, and proteins from liquid samples such as blood is critical for disease diagnosis and monitoring health conditions. Microfluidic technologies offer an unprecedented capability to precisely control the motion of fluids and dissolved or suspended analytes at the microscale. Elastic molecules in biofluids such as polymers and DNA affect the particles’ motion in microchannels, and we are investigating how the elasticity of molecules can be engineered to promote microparticle extraction.
Dr Jun Zhang, Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University
Importantly, as current devices are rigid and have limitations as stand-alone and single measurement tools, QMNC researchers are also investigating elastic materials for the creation of stretchable, skin-conforming wearable devices. These devices can be manipulated to transport biofluids, analyse analytes and continuously monitor health conditions in real-time.
"Our work has compared various flexible materials that could be used for on-skin wearable devices, including semiconductor-, polymer-, liquid metal-, paper-, and textile-based materials that enhance stretchability," said Dr Kashaninejad.
Ongoing projects are also developing and integrating microelectronics into the flexible microfluidic devices.
"Our unique capability in wideband gap electronic materials and nano-engineering combined with microfluidics could be a game changer in long-term health monitoring and therapeutic devices," said Dr Nguyen.
In 2023, Professor Nguyen was granted a $3.4 million Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship to extend research on micro- and elasto-fluidics and for the development of wearable devices that can access bodily fluids or deliver precise doses of medications.
"The outcomes of this project will help enable devices for the real-time, continuous observation and intervention of individuals' health conditions as well as enhanced performance monitoring in sport and on the battlefield," Professor Nguyen said. "Early detection and proactive measures to manage personal health will significantly reduce Australia’s healthcare costs."
QMNC research is also facilitating the development of 'organ-on-a-chip' devices that can be used as tools in research laboratories to mimic and examine human organs and systems. Such tools allow other researchers to determine fundamental information on human systems and diseases and to screen potential drugs. They also have high potential to overcome limitations of animal models including cost, incompatibility with human physiology, and ethical considerations.
With such broad possibility in the use of microfluidics across wearable and laboratory applications, Professor Nguyen and his colleagues at QMNC will continue to provide fundamental knowledge that moves towards the realisation of innovative, real-world devices.
Professor Nguyen and his colleagues at the Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre (QMNC) are open to collaborations with academic and industry groups. QMNC’s world-leading facilities, including the Queensland Microtechnology Facility, the National Hydrogen Materials Reference Facility and Raman Spectroscopy Laboratory are open to interested researchers and industry groups. To learn more about QMNC’s facilities please got to:
Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre
To learn more about Professor Nguyen's research and his contact details please go to:
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