A passive microfluidic valve fabricated from a hydrogel filled with carbon nanotubes

A new hydrogel composite was prepared by incorporating carbon nanotubes into agarose, and its mechanical, thermal, and structural characteristics were analyzed. A microfluidic unit element, a passive microfluidic valve, was fabricated from the hydrogel composite and embedded into a microfluidic device. The composite was found to exhibit satisfactory mechanical properties and a linear swelling feature for application as a passive valve in the microfluidic channel. The device operated successfully with different liquids.