Aqueous Power Source Integrated on a Microfluidic Chip

Growing demand for portable sensors for point-of-care (POC) and on-site health monitoring has led to significant attention towards developing a suitable power source. In this study, we developed microfluidic chip-integrated reverse electrodialysis (μRED) as an eco-friendly power generation system for monolithic operation of the device. Leveraging its fully ionic characteristic, μRED has been successfully applied for ionic diode and validate its property of seamless integration. Then, the feasibility of operating a bipolar electrode sensor without the aid of an external power supply was demonstrated, suggesting that μRED holds broad applicability for portable sensors. The μRED inspires with its futuristic applications, including electrochemical sensors for POC diagnostics and wearable devices.