Strain-mediated magnetoelectrics for microfluidic applications: Current status and future perspectives

The integration of magnetoelectric (ME) materials into microfluidic systems represents a significant advancement, offering enhanced precision and energy efficiency in manipulating magnetic entities at the microscale for biochemical assays and biomedical applications. This perspective examines the recent progress in ME-based microfluidic systems, focusing on strain-mediated ME effects used for single-cell manipulation and release. Key achievements include the precise control of magnetic entities through ME-driven mechanisms on ferroelectric substrates, which allows for the capture of individual cells using nanomagnetic ME heterostructures. Additionally, the development of infrared-driven ME sensors that utilize the pyroelectric properties induced by ME interactions enables the quantification of magnetic entities within the microfluidic environment. Collectively, these innovations underscore the transformative potential of ME materials in enhancing microfluidic functionality, particularly in areas such as targeted drug delivery, cell sorting, and biochemical diagnostics. While significant advances have been made, the incorporation of ME materials into microfluidics remains in its infancy, presenting exciting avenues for future exploration and technological advancement while adding a fresh perspective to the field of ME research.