Numerical simulation of a microfluidic system for regular glucose measurement

The aim of this research is to design an implantable integrated microfluidic system in order to regularly measure the glucose level in the human body, nonenzymatically, using the microdialysis method. The main compartments of this system are a micropump, array of hollow microneedles and an electrochemical sensor. At the base of the microneedles, there are located semipermeable membranes, that when the pumped dialysis fluid passes over them, the glucose of the interstitial fluid diffuses into the dialysis fluid and then, in the sensor section, it is measured nonenzymatically using the amperometry method. Both the arrangement of the miconeedles and the amount of the dialysis fluid flow are selected so that the greatest possible recovery factor can be achieved while system's size, response time and the consumed dialysis liquid kept at the best minimum possible. In this article there have been accomplished the simulation of glucose mass transfer into the dialysis fluid and the simulation of the nonenzymatic sensor. The simulation of the nonenzymatic sensor, despite other researches on nonenzymatic sensors, which are merely experimental, helps to achieve a better understanding and optimization of the parameters effective on the glucose electrooxidation mechanism.