Chemical reactions-based microfluidic circuits are expected to provide new opportunities to perform signal processing functions over molecular domain. To realize this vision, in this article, we exploit and present the digital signal processing capabilities of chemical reactions-based microfluidic circuits. Aiming to facilitate microfluidic circuit design, we describe a microfluidic circuit using a five-level architecture: 1) Molecular Propagation; 2) Chemical Transformation; 3) Microfluidic Modules; 4) Microfluidic Logic Gates; and 5) Microfluidic Circuits. We first identify the components at Levels 1 and 2, and present how their combinations can build the basic modules for Level 3. We then assemble basic modules to construct five types of logic gate for Level 4, including AND, NAND, OR, NOR, and XOR gates, which show advantages of microfluidic circuits in reusability and modularity. Last but not least, we discuss challenges and potential solutions for designing, building, and testing microfluidic circuits with complex signal processing functions in Level 5 based on the digital logic gates at Level 4.

中文翻译：

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通过基于化学反应的微流体电路进行分子通信的数字信号处理

预计基于化学反应的微流体电路将为在分子域上执行信号处理功能提供新的机会。为了实现这一愿景，在本文中，我们利用并展示了基于化学反应的微流体电路的数字信号处理能力。为了促进微流控电路设计，我们描述了一个使用五级架构的微流控电路：1）分子传播；2) 化学转化；3) 微流控模块；4) 微流控逻辑门；和 5) 微流体电路。我们首先识别Level 1和Level 2的组件，并展示它们的组合如何构建Level 3的基本模块。 然后我们组装基本模块来构建Level 4的五种逻辑门，包括AND，NAND，OR，NOR，和异或门，显示了微流控电路在可重用性和模块化方面的优势。最后但同样重要的是，我们讨论了基于第 4 级数字逻辑门的第 5 级具有复杂信号处理功能的微流体电路的设计、构建和测试的挑战和潜在解决方案。