Microfluidic integrated gas sensors for smart analyte detection: a comprehensive review

Front Chem. 2023 Sep 11:11:1267187. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1267187. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

The utilization of gas sensors has the potential to enhance worker safety, mitigate environmental issues, and enable early diagnosis of chronic diseases. However, traditional sensors designed for such applications are often bulky, expensive, difficult to operate, and require large sample volumes. By employing microfluidic technology to miniaturize gas sensors, we can address these challenges and usher in a new era of gas sensors suitable for point-of-care and point-of-use applications. In this review paper, we systematically categorize microfluidic gas sensors according to their applications in safety, biomedical, and environmental contexts. Furthermore, we delve into the integration of various types of gas sensors, such as optical, chemical, and physical sensors, within microfluidic platforms, highlighting the resultant enhancements in performance within these domains.

Keywords: gas sensors; microfluidic; miniaturization; selectivity; sensitivity.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Discovery Grant (RGPIN-2017-04407) from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.