Portable, Easy-to-Operate, and Antifouling Microcapsule Array Chips Fabricated by 3D Ice Printing for Visual Target Detection

Abstract

Herein, we proposed a portable, easy-to-operate, and antifouling microcapsule array chip for target detection. This prepackaged chip was fabricated by innovative and cost-effective 3D ice printing integrating with photopolymerization sealing which could eliminate complicated preparation of wet chemistry and effectively resist outside contaminants. Only a small volume of sample (2 μL for each microcapsule) was consumed to fulfill the assay. All the reagents required for the analysis were stored in ice form within the microcapsule before use, which guaranteed the long-term stability of microcapsule array chips. Nitrite and glucose were chosen as models for proof of concept to achieve an instant quantitative detection by naked eyes without the need of external sophisticated instruments. The simplicity, low cost, and small sample consumption endowed ice-printing microcapsule array chips with potential commercial value in the fields of on-site environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and rapid high-throughput point-of-care quantitative assay.