Microfluidics

Article By:

Stroock, Abraham D. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Last reviewed:January 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.802120

Technology that involves manipulating fluids in structures in which at least one linear dimension is less than a millimeter. Currently, the smallest dimension of common microfluidic elements is 10–500 micrometers. The most mature and commercially successful microfluidic systems are the print heads found in common inkjet printers. More recent efforts have been aimed at developing microfluidic systems for performing chemical processes. The principal target applications of these chemical systems are as portable analyzers of chemicals and biomolecules [proteins and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)] for biomedical applications and for defense against chemical and biological weapons. Some chemical syntheses have also been performed in microfluidic devices (Fig. 1). Microfluidic technologies have only recently begun to be commercialized. The table lists applications of microfluidic systems.

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