Micro/Nanofluidic Processes

This chapter describes key micro/nanofluidic processes that are successfully implemented on microsystems: mixing, concentrating, diluting, extracting, etc., in both continuous and droplet forms. Miniaturization of these devices can allow highly efficient large-scale automation of fluidic manipulation and measurements at much lower consumption of biochemical sample volume. This opens the route to high throughput screening which is useful in pharmaceutical industry. In addition, it is possible to take advantage of novel phenomena in micro/nanofluidic processes to invent new types of devices or chemical/biological analysis and production, such as separation and extracting of biomolecules; droplet-based microfluidics. It is expected that micro/naofluidic technology will have a higher impact to future human health maintenance.