1 Microfluidics

Society deems largess in the affirmative; the more money the better; the larger the house the grander; the bigger the bicep the stronger. The world of scientific discovery, invention, and development is, on the contrary, moving counter to this belief. Need for high throughput methods requiring small quantities of material have prompted the design and development of instruments with novel platforms that can accomplish the same tasks and more but in miniaturized form. The scientific literature is abundant in statements highlighting the “coming revolution” in microfluidic technology and applications; the term microfluidics generally used to describe any technology that moves microscopic and nanoscale volumes of fluid through micro-sized channels on a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). Microfluidics can be considered a combination of fluid mechanics, surface science, chemistry, and biology (and in many cases optics, microscopy, electronics, control systems, and microfabrication as well). Analogous to the integration of processes on-chip, research in this field involves an integration of many disciplines. Applications for microfluidic devices (MDs) have proliferated at a speed reminiscent of the use of electronics shortly after the invention of the integrated circuit. The term “lab-on-a-chip” has become almost pass e in the sheer numbers of papers and researchers who espouse the notion of miniaturizing everything larger than a fingernail. And yet, why not? Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip technologies represent a revolution in laboratory experimentation, bringing the benefits of miniaturization, integration, and automation to many research-based industries. The use of microfluidic chips has attracted great attention as microchips