Chapter 2: Microfluidics Theory in Practice

Analytical detection methods based on lab-on-a-chip (LoC) technologies have been on the rise in the last decade as they provide numerous advantages in comparison with their larger-scale counterparts, like low sample volume requirements, high-throughput capability and better performance. LoC system's designs and development are simultaneously dependent upon the physicochemical properties of the analyte under consideration and governed by the fundamental laws of fluid dynamics, that are usually applied at the macroscale. This chapter provides a brief overview of fluid hydrodynamics and also transport phenomena at the microscale that are relevant to analyte-detection science. This chapter will provide a solid grounding in the possibilities and limitations inherent to operating at the small scale.