Microfluidics
Microfluidics is one of the most dynamic areas of microtechnology. By taking advantage of the benefits of miniaturization, the field of microfluidics has promoted the construction of miniature and inexpensive devices mostly used for analysis and diagnosis. The size of microfluidic devices is small enough so that in experimentation the costs of reagents is small and the time required to perform analysis is greatly reduced. These advantages have given the field of microfluidics a leading hand in the potential to achieve medical and technological breakthroughs and innovations.
The NITRO lab has focused it's microfluidics studies to neuroscience and it's potential in biological applications. Recently, the phenomena of passive pumping has been studied and along with a commercially available and automated delivery system has been used to create fluidic exchanges and high flow rates inside a single microfluidic device without the need for external actuation mechanisms or complex microscale manufacturing.
The following Automated Microfluidic Delivery System Video is a clear example of the rates at which we are able to create fluidic exchanges using a simple channel geometry and two voltage controlled nozzels.
