QUANTITATIVE AND SELF-CALIBRATING CHEMICAL ANALYSIS USING PAPER-BASED MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEMS

摘要

A method of determining the concentration of a test fluid sample using a paper-based microfluidic system having a plurality of hydrophilic testing zones, including: a) depositing said test fluid sample on at least one said testing zone; b) depositing a plurality of standard fluid samples or reactives of differing known concentrations on other said testing zones; c) introducing an indicator solution to each said test zone to thereby react with the deposited fluid sample and result in a colour intensity change which is a function of the fluid sample concentration; and d) comparing the differences in colour intensity between the test fluid sample and the standard fluid samples or reactives to thereby determine the concentration of said test fluid sample. It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to more accurately determine the concentration of a test sample using paper-based microfluidic systems. the sample volume amount can be significantly reduced which is helpful when the obtained sample amount is limited (example a biological sample from a hospital patient). It should be noted that the term paper is used in the application to refer to cellulosic material including woven fabrics and nonwoven material in addition to paper. The use of a plurality of standard fluid samples or reactives of different known concentrations provides an internal self-calibration for the method according to the present invention. This can lead to more accurate results being obtained notwithstanding various external factors.