An electrochemical-sensor system for real-time flow measurements in porous materials

Flow monitoring in porous materials is critical for the engineering of paper-based microfluidic bioassays. Here, we present an electrochemical-sensor system that monitors the liquid flow in porous materials without affecting the real flow in paper-strip samples. The developed microfluidic sensor records an amperometric signal created by the solution movement mediated by paper wicking. This approach allows the in situ monitoring of the different hydrodynamic conditions of a specific paper geometry or composition. In addition, the method proposed in this work was employed to characterise the fluid flow of different nitrocellulose paper strips after oxygen-plasma treatment or dextran coating. The dextran fluid-flow modifiers were further used on the paper strip-based assays as means of signal enhancement. The proposed electrochemical-sensing method offers a valuable alternative to existing optical-based monitoring techniques for flow measurement in paper-based microfluidic systems.