Review on microfluidic paper-based analytical devices towards commercialisation

Highlights: • Reports a critical overview on the fabrication techniques for paper-devices. • Presents the newest approaches to overtake current mass production limitations and therefore commercialisation. • Highlights: novel technologies for the effective handling and controlling of fluids in paper devices. • Discusses the reasons for a lack of flow control in paper devices. • Discusses the obstacles for the transition of paper devices from the laboratory into the consumers' hands. - Abstract: Paper-based analytical devices introduce an innovative platform technology for fluid handling and analysis, with wide range of applications, promoting low cost, ease of fabrication/operation and equipment independence. This review gives a general overview on the fabrication techniques reported to date, revealing and discussing their weak points as well as the newest approaches in order to overtake current mass production limitations and therefore commercialisation. Moreover, this review aims especially to highlight novel technologies appearing in literature for the effective handling and controlling of fluids. The lack of flow control is the main problem of paper-based analytical devices, which generates obstacles for marketing and slows down the transition of paper devices from the laboratory into the consumers' hands.