Microfluidic synthesis of micro- and nanostructures for biomedical applications

The use of microfluidic technologies in biomedical applications and nanomaterial synthesis is driven by unique physical phenomena that emerge at the microscale and cannot be easily achieved using conventional approaches.

From a biomedical perspective, microfluidic technologies are often implemented in the form of Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) systems. This approach makes it possible to minimize the amount of sample required, which is particularly important when working with rare biological specimens. It also enables rapid analysis by increasing diffusion rates and reducing transport distances, allowing antigen–antibody interactions to occur within minutes.

Integrating such devices into mobile and portable platforms makes it possible to perform point-of-care diagnostics, including applications such as blood glucose monitoring and rapid viral testing. The use of very small sample volumes can also enable analytes to be concentrated directly within the detection area, improving sensor sensitivity.

From the perspective of nanomaterial synthesis, microfluidic technologies can address several key limitations of conventional synthesis methods, including poor reproducibility, limited control over reaction kinetics, and long processing times. A microfluidic approach enables precise control over particle size and high monodispersity through controlled reaction kinetics. It can also facilitate the fabrication of complex particle architectures using layer-by-layer assembly and offers a scalable production strategy: instead of increasing the size of a reactor, production can be scaled up by operating a large number of identical microfluidic devices in parallel.

The main focus of our research group is to address applied challenges in biomedicine and nanomaterial synthesis, developing microfluidic technologies for therapeutic and diagnostic applications.