On-demand, remote and lossless manipulation of biofluid droplets. Issue 11 (7th September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Wei; Sun, Jiefeng; Vallabhuneni, Sravanthi; Pawlowski, Benjamin; Vahabi, Hamed; Nellenbach, Kimberly; Brown, Ashley C.; Scholle, Frank; Zhao, Jianguo; Kota, Arun K.
• Is Part Of: Materials horizons. Volume 9:Issue 11(2022)
• Page Start: 2863
• Page End: 2871
• Publication Date: 2022-09-07
• Subjects: Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/d2mh00695b
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2051-6347

Abstract

Abstract : To minimize exposure of healthcare workers and clinical laboratory personnel to infectious liquids, we designed biofluid manipulators for on-demand handling of liquid droplets, in-plane or out-of-plane, in a remote and lossless manner. Abstract : The recent global outbreaks of epidemics and pandemics have shown us that we are severely under-prepared to cope with infectious agents. Exposure to infectious agents present in biofluids ( e.g., blood, saliva, urine etc. ) poses a severe risk to clinical laboratory personnel and healthcare workers, resulting in hundreds of millions of hospital-acquired and laboratory-acquired infections annually. Novel technologies that can minimize human exposure through remote and automated handling of infectious biofluids will mitigate such risk. In this work, we present biofluid manipulators, which allow on-demand, remote and lossless manipulation of virtually any liquid droplet. Our manipulators are designed by integrating thermo-responsive soft actuators with superomniphobic surfaces. Utilizing our manipulators, we demonstrate on-demand, remote and lossless manipulation of biofluid droplets. We envision that our biofluid manipulators will not only reduce manual operations and minimize exposure to infectious agents, but also pave the way for developing inexpensive, simple and portable robotic systems, which can allow point-of-care operations, particularly in developing nations.