The New Era of Surface Microfluidics: Advances and Applications

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "B:Biology and Biomedicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 1280

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia
Interests: surface microfluidics; optofluidics; micropillar-based microfluidics; biosensing and Raman spectroscopy; lab-on-a-chip; cancer-on-a-chip; superhydrophobic surfaces
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The area of surface microfluidics has emerged as an innovative technology for handling fluids at both the microscale and nanoscale, enabling precise manipulation of the fluids by means of surface tension, wettability gradients, and external actuation. Although this technology has mostly referred to the manipulation of drops by open-surface microfluidics, recent innovations have expanded on closed-channel microfluidic microsystems, thus unveiling opportunities for biosensing, spectroscopy, and microchip laboratory integration.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent progress toward both open- and closed-channel surface microfluidics, including basic studies, creative microfabrication, and vast application areas. We invite the submission of original papers, communications, and reviews targeting areas including, but not limited to, those listed below:

  • Open-surface microfluidics: digital microfluidics, capillary flow, drop-mediated manipulation, and wettability-mediated conduction.
  • Closed-channel surface microfluidics: hybrid combinations that combine capillary phenomena, surface modification, and confined microchannels.
  • Microscopic, biosensing, and other microfluidic interfaces: microfluidic interfaces using Raman spectroscopy, confocal imaging, and other microtechnologies.
  • Microfabrication, surface modification, and modification: femtosecond laser processing, nanostructuring, and functional coating, aiming toward handling efficiency.
  • New interdisciplinary areas and trends toward microtechnology: bio-analytical microfluidics, mechanobiology, and optofluoidics.
  • Combining both open- and closed-channel approaches: this Special Issue aims to advance the field of surface microfluidics and apply it to biomedical diagnostics, sensing, and micro/nanofluidic engineering.

Dr. Navid Kashaninejad
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • surface microfluidics
  • capillary-driven flow
  • digital microfluidics
  • wettability engineering
  • biosensing and spectroscopy
  • closed-channel microfluidics
  • electrowetting and magnetowetting
  • microfabrication and surface modification
  • lab-on-a-chip technologies
  • optofluidics and microfluidic sensing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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13 pages, 5561 KB  
Article
Porous Micropillar Arrays with Oil Infusion: Fabrication, Characterisation, and Wettability Analysis
by David Gibbon, Prabuddha De Saram, Azeez Bakare and Navid Kashaninejad
Micromachines 2025, 16(12), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16121419 - 17 Dec 2025
Viewed by 788
Abstract
Superhydrophobic micropillar surfaces, inspired by the lotus leaf, have been extensively studied over the past two decades for their self-cleaning, anti-friction, anti-icing, and anti-corrosion properties. In this study, we introduce a simple and effective method for introducing porosity into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillar arrays [...] Read more.
Superhydrophobic micropillar surfaces, inspired by the lotus leaf, have been extensively studied over the past two decades for their self-cleaning, anti-friction, anti-icing, and anti-corrosion properties. In this study, we introduce a simple and effective method for introducing porosity into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillar arrays using salt templating. We then evaluate the wetting behaviour of these surfaces before and after infusion with perfluoropolyether (PFPE) oil. Apparent contact angle and sliding angle were measured relative to a non-porous control surface. Across five porous variants, the contact angle decreased by approximately 5° (from 157° to 152° on average), while the sliding angle increased by about 3.5° (from 16.5° to 20° on average). Following PFPE infusion, the porous arrays exhibited reduced sliding angles while maintaining superhydrophobicity. These results indicate that introducing porosity slightly reduces water repellency and droplet mobility, whereas PFPE infusion restores mobility while preserving high water repellency. The change in wettability following PFPE infusion highlights the potential of these surfaces to function as robust, self-cleaning materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The New Era of Surface Microfluidics: Advances and Applications)
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