10 - Microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip

Abstract

The term “lab-on-a-chip” has originated from the miniaturization of processes, which typically requires a laboratory space for the synthesis or analysis of chemicals. There are several obvious advantages of working at this scale. In terms of health-care applications, this is highly useful as sample analysis can be performed exactly at the point of sample introduction rather than transporting to large and sophisticated laboratory facilities. Fluid dynamics plays an extremely important role at this scale, enabling efficient and faster reactions and thereby significantly minimizing chemical wastage. The primary challenge in developing lab-on-a-chip devices lies in the designing and fabrication of such device platforms. In the recent past, rapid advances in materials science, as well as micro/nanofabrication methodologies, have enabled the development and analysis of large numbers of point-of-care or lab-on-a-chip devices for a variety of applications. In this chapter, we focus on the various aspects of microfluidics and its applications.