A portable sample concentrator on paper-based microfluidic devices

Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) provide a promising solution for low-cost point-of-care diagnostic applications. However, much work remains to be done in optimizing their design and performance. Accordingly, this study investigates the preconcentration performance of µPADs comprising one, two and three convergent channels, respectively. The performance of the three devices is evaluated experimentally using fluorescein and a fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin (FITC-BSA) sample with an initial concentration of 10 −5 M. It is shown that the single-channel µPAD achieves a 20-fold improvement in the sample concentration in approximately 2 min. By contrast, the double- and triple-channel µPADs achieve preconcentration factors of 60- and 140-fold, respectively. Finally, a portable concentrator device is proposed. The experimental results show that a 100-fold improvement in the FITC-BSA sample concentration can be obtained in approximately 110 s given the use of four 16-V batteries, yielding a practical point-of-care diagnostic device.