Prospects of low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) based microfluidic systems for point-of-care biosensing and environmental sensing

Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) based microfluidic devices are being developed for point-of-care biomedical and environmental sensing to enable personalized health care. This article reviews the prospects of LTCC technology for microfluidic device development and its advantages and limitations in processing capabilities compared to silicon, glass and polymer processing. The current state of the art in LTCC-based processing techniques for fabrication of microfluidic components such as microchannels, chambers, microelectrodes and valves is presented. LTCC-based biosensing applications are discussed under the classification of (a) microreactors, (b) whole cell-based and (c) protein biosensors. Biocompatibility of LTCC pertaining to the development of biosensors and whole cell sensors is also discussed. Other significant applications of LTCC microfluidic systems for detection of environmental contaminants and toxins are also presented. Technological constraints and advantages of LTCC-based microfluidic system are elucidated in the conclusion. The LTCC-based microfluidic devices provide a viable platform for the development of point-of-care diagnostic systems for biosensing and environmental sensing applications.