Yes. Researchers have made working microfluidic devices from wood, including prototypes for protein detection, channel mixing, microbial contamination detection and, more recently, electrochemical nitrate sensing. The results establish wood as a research-stage option for selected fluid-handling tasks—not as a general replacement for plastic, or as a clinically ready technology.
What can wood microfluidics do?
Microfluidic devices guide small volumes of liquid through tiny channels for tasks such as mixing, sensing or testing. In a 2019 proof-of-concept study, Andar and colleagues fabricated wood-based devices and demonstrated three functions: surface-plasmon-coupled fluorescence detection of proteins, T- and Y-shaped channel mixing, and rapid detection of microbial contamination. The authors reported performance comparable to or better than plastic counterparts in the experiments they conducted; that result applies to those tests, not to every wood device or application. Read the 2019 paper in Analytical Chemistry.
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For the protein measurements, the study reported a fluorescence measurement range of 1.5–25 ng/μL for recombinant GFP standards and 0.1–100 ng/μL for 6XHis-G-CSF in cell-free translation systems. These are experimental ranges, not clinical thresholds or evidence of performance in routine patient testing.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA study published in October 2025 extended the approach to electrochemistry. Its lab-on-wood-chip device was used to study electropolymerization and corrosion, and to demonstrate nitrate sensing as a proof of concept for environmental monitoring. The authors reported tests across pH 0.5–14.0 and temperatures of 4–60 °C, with performance consistency for more than 12 months. Those are conditions and results reported by that study, not independently replicated field performance. See the 2025 study in Chemical Physics Letters.
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How are the devices made?
The reported devices use channels formed by laser engraving or mechanical fabrication. Because untreated wood draws liquid into its structure, the researchers applied coatings to help control fluid movement. The material and coating choices differ by study, so they should be treated as examples rather than a standard recipe.
- 2019 prototypes: Chemistry World reports that the team used birch plywood, tested coatings including PMMA and cellulose acetate, and chose Teflon for the reported devices. The researchers were also exploring potentially more environmentally benign coatings such as vegetable oils and beeswax.
- 2025 device: The later study describes a laser-engraved device made from commercially available balsa wood sheets.
The early fabrication work was deliberately practical: Govind Rao described researchers obtaining samples of wooden flooring from a local hardware store and using a laser cutter to try making channels. That anecdote illustrates how the idea was explored; it does not mean ordinary flooring or a consumer engraver will reliably reproduce laboratory results. Chemistry World’s 2019 report covers the early work and its limitations.
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Why use wood—and what are the trade-offs?
The motivation is to investigate renewable, readily sourced materials for devices that may be used once, potentially reducing dependence on conventional nonbiodegradable plastics. The 2019 paper presents wood microfluidics as a proof of concept for possible point-of-care applications; it does not establish clinical use. Whether wood is preferable depends on the assay, manufacturing requirements and disposal pathway.
| Consideration | Wood microfluidics | Plastic microfluidics |
|---|---|---|
| Fluid handling | Wood wicks liquid, so the reported devices used coatings to control flow. | The cited sources do not establish a single plastic baseline; performance depends on the device and material. |
| Material consistency | Wood composition can vary, and coating or laser processing may also vary, complicating reproducibility. | The sources identify reproducibility as a comparison dimension but provide no comprehensive head-to-head manufacturing data. |
| Optical analysis | Wood is opaque, ruling out some analyses that require transparent materials. | The sources do not compare specific plastics or optical properties; transparency depends on the chosen material. |
| Fabrication | Studies demonstrate laser engraving and mechanical fabrication, with coatings needed to manage wicking. | The cited sources do not provide a full comparison of manufacturing methods or complexity. |
| Cost and end of life | No comprehensive cost comparison or lifecycle assessment is established by the cited sources. Non-wood components and reagents may affect disposal. | No comprehensive cost or end-of-life comparison is established by the cited sources. |
What could limit reliability?
Wood is a variable natural material. Differences in composition, laser charring and the application of coatings can all affect device behavior. Chemistry World reports Chris Lowe’s concerns that birch composition varies considerably and that birch can release sugars, amino acids and aromatic compounds into aqueous media. Such compounds could interfere with sensitive assays, including clinical measurements. These are reasons to test each device and assay carefully, not proof that every wood device will fail.
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Opacity is a separate practical constraint: as Nathaniel Robinson noted in the Chemistry World report, wood is unsuitable for some analyses that depend on transparency. A wood device may therefore be a poor choice even if its channels and sensing chemistry otherwise work.
Is wood microfluidics environmentally friendly?
Wood may be renewable, but that alone does not establish that a finished device is biodegradable or environmentally harmless. Coatings, electrodes and other non-wood components may not biodegrade, and reagents used in an assay may not be environmentally benign. Chemistry World also raises the possibility that residues from composted devices could require hazardous-waste handling. A credible environmental comparison would need to account for the whole device, its reagents, manufacturing and disposal; the cited work does not provide a full lifecycle assessment.
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What the evidence means for practical use
For now, wood microfluidics is best understood as an active research direction with demonstrated prototype functions. The studies show that wood can be patterned into channels and adapted for selected optical and electrochemical experiments. They do not establish a validated consumer fabrication process, a standard material specification, clinical readiness, broad commercial adoption or superiority to plastic across applications.
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Researchers choosing a material need to start with the assay: whether it requires a transparent substrate, how sensitive it is to compounds that may leach from wood, how tightly channel flow must be controlled, and what reproducibility is required. They must also consider coating consistency and the disposal of the entire device, not just its wooden portion.
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