The development of microfluidic platforms for environmental analysis

Abstract

There is currently a gap in the use of centrifugal microfluidics in the field environmental sensing. The purpose of this thesis was to develop new and innovative centrifugal microfluidic platforms, which could enhance current environmental monitoring strategy limitations; portability and in-situ capability, cost-effectiveness, generical design for multi-analyte detectability, and the minimal required end-user interaction. Included in the main body of the thesis will be a review article, providing the theoretical perspectives which have been demonstrated for microfluidic applications in other domains and recommendations for adaptation towards environmental sensing using centrifugal microfluidics, and three novel papers on the staged development of a multi- toxin detection platform aimed to be incorporated within the fully deployable MariaBox (Marine environmental in-situ assessment and monitoring toolBox, co-funded by the European Commission: contract no.614088) system. The aspects covered across these three original articles includes the development of a centrifugal microfluidic platform with complementary fluorescence detection system as an initial test bed for toxin bio- assay integration on-disc, progression of current centrifugally-automatable pneumatic microvalve mechanisms for increased actuation predictability, and the further combination of both of these detection and microvalve mechanisms for a complete on- disc, multi-toxin detection platform which has been designed specifically to be compatible with the deployable MariaBox platform