Overview

Microfluidics—systems that move fluids through sub-millimeter-scale channels—provide a platform for studying a variety of scientific questions. Microfluidic devices have become one design tool for producing lab-on-a-chip technology for use as low-volume sensors, diagnostics, and high-throughput screening devices in biology, biotechnology, chemistry, engineering, and other fields. In addition, such systems can serve as a basic research tool for observing the fundamental physical properties of structured viscous fluids.

At the October 22, 2008, meeting of the Soft Materials Discussion Group, researchers described the contributions of microfluidic systems as engineering tools for biotechnology and basic research. In biotechnology, microfluidics could help structural biologists optimize the growth of protein crystals and acquire protein structural data more quickly and efficiently. In addition, such systems are allowing physics researchers to observe, describe, and understand fundamental dynamic patterns in the flow behavior of structured viscous fluids.