The Magnetohydrodynamic Effect and Its Associated Material Designs for Biomedical Applications: A State-of-the-Art Review

The presented article discusses recent advances in biomedical applications of classical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), with a focus on operating principles and associated material considerations. These applications address novel approaches to common biomedical problems from microparticle sorting for lab-on-a-chip devices to advanced physiological monitoring techniques. 100 papers in the field of MHDs are reviewed with a focus on studies with direct biomedical applications. The body of literature is categorized into three primary areas of research including material considerations for MHD applications, MHD actuation devices, and MHD sensing techniques. The state of the art in the field is examined and research topics are connected to provide a wide view of the field of biomedical MHDs. As this field develops, the need for advanced simulation and material design will continue to increase in importance in order to further expand its reach to maturity. As the field of biomedical MHDs continues to grow, advances toward microscale transitions will continue to be made, maintaining its clinically driven nature and moving toward real-world applications.