Enhancement of the Analyte Mass Transport in a Microfluidic Biosensor by Deformation of Fluid Flow and Electrothermal Force

Fluid deformations around a cylinder combined with an applied electric field are used to enhance the kinetics rate and the response time of heterogeneous immunosensors in microfluidic systems. The insertion of an obstacle in the microchannel as well as the application an applied electric field are used to change the fluid motion topology that improves the transport of diffusion-limited proteins. The response time is affected by various parameters such as the inlet flow velocity, the initial analyte concentration and the obstacle position. The effects of the parameters related to the kinetics reaction on the sensitivity and the performance of the biosensor have been studied numerically. Numerical results reveal that an appropriate choice of the inlet analyte and inlet flow velocity with applied electric field may reduce considerably the response time and enhance the microfluidic sensor performance.