ReviewLab on a chip2025
Present and future of smart functional materials as actuators in microfluidic devices.
Review in Lab on a chip, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- A bio-inspired customizable mechanical central pattern generator enables one-to-many scalable pneumatic control.Communications engineering · 2026Article
- Recent Advances in MEMS Actuators for Microfluidic Applications: Emerging Designs, Multiphysics Modeling, and Performance Optimization.Micromachines · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The role of actuators in microfluidic systems is fundamental for accurate measurements and analyses, as they enable precise control over fluid flow by converting various forms of energy-including electrical, thermal, piezoelectric, and electromagnetic-into mechanical motion. The integration of actuators within microfluidic devices facilitates system miniaturization, allowing complex fluidic operations at the microscale. Actuators are essential components in micropumps, micromixers, microvalves, and other fluidic control elements, ensuring accurate handling of very small quantities of liquids. However, the selection of the material type for the actuator is highly dependent on the specific application, as well as on the material composition and structural configuration of the microfluidic device in which it will be integrated. Actuators can feature either moving or static components, and the use of hybrid materials allows for the development of innovative actuation mechanisms. Given the vast range of possible actuator-material combinations, selecting an appropriate actuation strategy is critical for optimal device performance. This review presents recent advancements in microfluidic actuation, with a particular emphasis on material innovations. It explores emerging actuator materials integrated within microfluidic channels, their fabrication and integration methods, activation mechanisms, and functional applications. Additionally, the review provides a comprehensive outlook on promising materials for future microfluidic actuator development.
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.