Unconventional Microfluidics

Here, my research is driven by the goal of democratizing high-end microfluidics through Open Hardware and accessible, DIY fabrication. I focus on developing low-cost methodologies that allow researchers to create complex, functional microfluidic systems without the need for expensive cleanroom facilities. By leveraging consumer-grade technologies like 3D printing and DIY automation, I aim to bridge the gap between sophisticated chemical engineering and “Maker” accessibility, ensuring that advanced analytical tools are available to the global scientific community.

Key examples of this approach include ESCARGOT (Embedded SCAffold RemovinG Open Technology) (Saggiomo & Velders, 2015), which utilizes sacrificial 3D-printed scaffolds to create intricate 3D architectures in PDMS, and COMPLOT (Willems et al., 2020), a method for covalent surface patterning inside microchannels for supramolecular sensing. Beyond fabrication, I develop integrated analytical solutions such as micro-NMR flow setups (Mompeán et al., 2018) for mass-limited samples and variable pathlength cells(Liu et al., 2025) designed for automated, real-time data validation using computer vision.

We are currently developing Acoustofluidic (Zhang et al., 2025) and Electrochemiluminescence chips.