Abstract:
Technological developments in recent years have witnessed a paradigm shift
towards lab-on-chip devices for various diagnostic applications. Lab-on-chip
technology integrates several functions typically performed in a large-scale
analytical laboratory on a small-scale platform. These devices are more than
the miniaturized versions of conventional analytical and diagnostic techniques. The advances in fabrication techniques, material sciences, surface
modification strategies, and their integration with microfluidics and chemical
and biological-based detection mechanisms have enormously enhanced the
capabilities of these devices. The minuscule sample and reagent requirements,
capillary-driven pump-free flows, faster transport phenomena, and ease of
integration with various signal readout mechanisms make these platforms apt
for use in resource-limited settings, especially in developing and underdeveloped parts of the world. The microfluidic lab-on-a-chip technology offers a
promising approach to developing cost-effective and sustainable point-of-care
testing applications. Numerous merits of this technology have attracted the
attention of researchers to develop low-cost and rapid diagnostic platforms in
human healthcare, veterinary medicine, food quality testing, and environmental monitoring. However, one of the major challenges associated with these
devices is their limited sensitivity or the limit of detection. The use of functional nanomaterials in lab-on-chip microfluidic devices can improve the limit
of detection by enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio, increasing the capture efficiency, and providing capabilities for devising novel detection schemes. This
review presents an overview of state-of-the-art techniques for integrating functional nanomaterials with microfluidic devices and discusses the potential
applications of these devices in various fields
