Highly Integrated Microfluidics Design

Book excerpt: The recent development of microfluidics has lead to the concept of lab-on-a-chip, where several functional blocks are combined into a single device that can perform complex manipulations and characterizations on the microscopic fluid sample. However, integration of multiple functionalities on a single device can be complicated. This a cutting-edge resource focuses on the crucial aspects of integration in microfluidic systems. It serves as a one-stop guide to designing microfluidic systems that are highly integrated and scalable. This practical book covers a wide range of critical topics, from fabrication techniques and simulation tools, to actuation and sensing functional blocks and their inter-compatibility. This unique reference outlines the benefits and drawbacks of different approaches to microfluidic integration and provides a number of clear examples of highly integrated microfluidic systems.