Natural Indigenous Paper Substrates for Colorimetric Bioassays in Portable Analytical Systems: Sustainable Solutions from the Rain Forests to the Great Plains

Point-of-care (POC) devices can provide inexpensive, practical, and expedited solutions for applications ranging from biomedicine to environmental monitoring. This work reports on the development of low-cost microfluidic substrates for POC systems suitable for analytical assays, while also satisfying the need for social and environmentally conscious practices regarding circular economy, waste reduction, and the use of local resources. Thus, an innovative greener process to extract cellulose from plants including abaca, cotton, kozo, linen, and sisal, originating from different places around the world, is developed, and then the corresponding paper substrates are obtained to serve as platforms for POC assays. Hydrophobic wax is used to delineate channels that are able to guide solutions into chambers where the colorimetric assay for total cholesterol quantification is carried out as a proof of concept. Morphological and physicochemical analyses are performed, including the evaluation of fiber diameter, shape and density, and mechanical and thermal properties, together with peel adhesion of the printed wax channels. Contact angle and capillary flow tests ascertain the suitability of the substrates for liquid assays and overall viability as low-cost, sustainable microfluidic substrates for POC applications.

Automated summary

This work reports on the development of low-cost microfluidic substrates for point-of-care (POC) systems suitable for analytical assays. An innovative greener process is developed to extract cellulose from various plants, and corresponding paper substrates are obtained as platforms. The substrates are evaluated using morphological and physicochemical analyses, and their suitability for liquid assays and overall viability as low-cost, sustainable microfluidic substrates for POC applications are confirmed.