Microfluidics

Microfluidics deals with the behavior of liquids and gases in the smallest space. This may differ substantially from the behavior of macroscopic fluids, because this scale effects can dominate, which are neglected in the classical fluid mechanics often. For example, if the friction forces dominate the inertial forces, which corresponds to a flow at low Reynolds numbers, creates a laminar flow without significant turbulence. This complicates the mixing of liquids, which happens without turbulence only by diffusion. Another difference is possible predominance of capillary forces against the force of gravity. This is reflected in a small Bond number and causes the transport of very small amounts of liquid against the everyday experience gravity can be neglected.

Examples can be found in many areas of biology and medicine. Technical applications are there in the biotechnology, medical technology, process technology, sensor technology, and recently also in consumer goods. Using different technologies and material groups used, such as glass, plastic or silicon. Fluids are moved, mixed, separated or otherwise processed. This can be purely passive, for example dissolved on capillary fluid structures. Here are, inter alia, additional external drive mechanisms such as CD player -like systems used. Using the centrifugal force as a rotational drive of liquid transport can be achieved in the purely passive fluidic targeted leadership of the media transport. From an "active microfluidics " is used when manipulating the working fluids are specifically controlled by active (micro) components such as by micropumps or microvalves. Promote micro-pumps or dosing liquids, micro-valves control the direction and the movement mode of pumped media. Micromixer ensuring appropriate mixing of fluid volumes. Often to methods that would otherwise be carried out in a laboratory, is to increase the efficiency and the mobility or the reduction of the required substances into a single chip, the so-called lab- performed.

When two immiscible liquids sent specifically through a microchannel, then phase boundaries form of a liquid and forms droplets within the other. This is known as " drop -based Microfluidics ". Usually, whole sequences of droplets are produced. These drops represent test tubes in which chemical reactions and biological processes are studied. For the logical information processing can be used. The droplet -based microfluidics represents a (partially) serial alternative to microtiter plates