A novel scalable microfluidic load sensor based on electrokinetic phenomena

A novel microfluidic load sensor based on electrokinetic mechanism is developed. Its measuring principle is revealed, and the effects of the geometry and other physical parameters for the sensor are investigated quantitatively by an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian computational method. The parametric study includes the length of the detection probe, the cap plate thickness, the Young’s modulus of the film, and the height of the microfluidic channel in the sensor. The results indicate that the sensitivity and the measurement range of the sensor can suit various measurement conditions and scales by modifying the parameters studied here for different requirements.