Materials for Micro- and Nanofluidics
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Materials for Microand Nanofluidics
Paul J.A. Kenis and Abraham D. Stroock, Guest Editors Abstract Over the last two decades, our ability to create networks of fluidic channels of submillimeter or even sub-micrometer diameters has led to a wide range of microchemical applications. Whereas early efforts were directed toward the development of microanalysis systems, in more recent times the development of microreactors and tools for biotechnology and basic biological studies has emerged. This issue of MRS Bulletin highlights the many different ways in which material properties are crucial in the fabrication, assembly, and operation of micro- and nanofluidic systems. Choice-of-material considerations range from an assessment of whether a desired channel design can be microfabricated in a certain material to whether the material is compatible with the operating conditions (i.e., pressure, temperature) and the chemical composition (solvent, solutes) of the fluid used. Moreover, in certain cases, specific surface or bulk material properties can be used to the benefit of the application of the device. In the development of today’s wide range of integrated micro- and nanofluidic applications, a common challenge emerges: meeting the often contradictory set of constraints imposed on the physical and chemical properties of materials by the envisioned applications. This issue reviews these challenges and their solutions and provides an outlook on how the ingenious use of existing and new materials can spur the development of ever more sophisticated micro- and nanofluidic systems. Keywords: biological, fluidics, nanoscale.
Introduction Micro- and nanofluidic systems have been around as long as the earliest cellular forms of life on our planet. In many biological species, including humans, microvascular systems—networks of convective flows that permeate their volumes—provide mass transfer of chemicals to and from certain locations. Early examples of artificial micro- and nanofluidics include micro syringe needles, glass capillaries, and a wide variety of membranes with micro- or nanopores. Advances in microand nanoscale fabrication and patterning methods have opened routes to attain micro- and nanofluidic networks of more sophisticated design and interconnectivity only over the last two decades. Three main categories of applications have inspired these rapid developments: 1. Microanalysis systems for purification, separation, and/or identification purposes; this was the original theme of microfluidics launched by Manz, Harrison, and Ramsey in the early 1990s1 and has
MRS BULLETIN • VOLUME 31 • FEBRUARY 2006
led to a variety of clinical and diagnostic tests, chemical and biological agent detectors, and environmental tests. 2. Microreactors for chemical synthesis; this younger field, which started in the late 1990s, has brought us, for example, methods to synthesize dangerous/unstable/ precious compounds on demand,2,3 fuel processing systems,4 synthesis of tailored nanoparticles,5 and microfuel cells.6 3. A wide range of enabl
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