International Conference on Biomedical Research

ENGINEERI’m a 23 year-old guy that defines himself as a cheerful,funny, curious person seeking to live new experiences. I’mlooking for changes, challenges and sensations that can fulfillmyself and that can develop who I am, both personal andprofessionally.

The microfluidic industry focuses on the fabrication of devices through which very small-scale volumes of liquid flow, between μl (10-6 l) and nl (10-9 l). Some technologies simulate the functions of a laboratory but are reduced to the size of a microchip, called point-of-care testing (POCT) devices. These type of devices contain multiple structures such as microchannels, chemical reaction chambers, different types of valves and other components. There are two types of devices depending on how they work: active devices, which need an energy source to function (e.g., flow pumps or electric pumps), and passive devices, which work relied on a physical phenomenon called capillarity, in which many factors are involved that allow the liquid’s flow. This second group is experiencing an exponential growth because, as they don’t require energy sources, they have numerous advantages. But they also have a disadvantage, because, within TE Connectivity’s IVD Solutions group, they have not been developed as much as the active microchips. This work focuses on the investigation of passive devices for implementation in future projects. To this end, it has been studied how channel geometries, capillary elements, material surface functionalization and the influence of adhesives used affect the fluid behaviour.