by Microfabricateds refers to the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale. At this scale, fluid flow is governed by low Reynolds number fluid flow dynamics and is amenable to precise analytical description. By leveraging microfabrication techniques originally developed for the microelectronics industry, microfabricated systems can be manufactured with precise microscopic features to control flows on sub-millimeter length scales.
Early Development of Microfluidic Technology
The roots of microfabricateds can be traced back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. Researchers worked to develop new specialized fabrication techniques, adapted from microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, that would allow the precise construction of Microfluidic flow channels and reservoirs. Initial applications focused on developing “lab-on-a-chip” micro total analysis systems (μTAS) that could perform routine analytical techniques like chromatography, electrophoresis and chemical reactions on a single integrated microchip. This promised to enable miniaturization, automation, reduced sample/reagent consumption and cost advantages over traditional benchtop instruments.
Biological and Medical Applications Emerge
As fabrication techniques advanced, new applications emerged in areas like biotechnology, biological assay development and medical diagnostics where tight control over fluid flows and precise fluid handling was paramount. Microfabricated systems enabled controlled culturing and analysis of cells at the single-cell level. Integrated “organ-on-a-chip” systems that model human organ and body functions using tissue-engineered “microphysiological systems” also began emerging. Notable applications include “lung-on-a-chip” and “liver-on-a-chip” models to study disease pathogenesis and perform drug testing. Portable microfabricated POC (point-of-care) diagnostic devices for applications like glucose monitoring, infectious disease detection, and environmental monitoring were also developed.
Enabling Technologies Drive Continued Growth
Advances in enabling technologies like soft lithography, 3D printing, contact/contactless handling of liquids at the microscale and new detection schemes are continually expanding the frontiers of microfabricateds. Soft lithography allows rapid, inexpensive manufacture of elastomeric microfabricated devices and enables novel applications like lipid bilayer formation. 3D printing enables custom, on-demand fabrication of complex microfabricated device designs. Optical tweezers, dielectrophoresis and acoustic manipulation techniques provide contactless control over fluids and particles in microfabricated chips. These techniques are unlocking new applications in domains like stem cell engineering, molecular biology and biomanufacturing.
Microfabricateds in Drug Development and High-throughput Screening
Microfabricated systems are becoming valuable tools in pharmaceutical R&D. Their abilities to perform highly-parallel chemical and biological assays at micro-volume scales has enabled ultra high-throughput screening of thousands to millions of compounds per day in the search for new drug leads. Microfabricated assays allow much smaller volumes of expensive reagents to be used compared to standard microtiter plate-based assays. Complex 3D tissue models and organs-on-chips are also being used to more accurately mimic in vivo drug responses during pre-clinical testing, potentially reducing late-stage drug failures. Continuous microfabricated processing also enables inline analysis and characterization of drug structures, screens and interactions with targets. These capabilities are accelerating drug discovery timelines and reducing costs.
Applications in Chemical Synthesis and Process Intensification
Beyond biomedical uses, microfabricateds is finding applications in diverse chemical fields including flow chemistry, process intensification and materials synthesis. Controlled, rapid mixing at the microscale enables unique reaction conditions and kinetics leading to enhanced or unprecedented chemical transformations. Continuous flow microreactors show advantages over batch reactors by enabling reactions under extreme conditions like high temperature/pressure. Microreaction technology enables scalable, modular “factory-on-a-chip” systems for production of commodity and fine chemicals. Microchannels may also serve as micro- and nano-scale templates or scaffolds for manufacturing novel structured materials with complex hierarchical architectures. Intensified mass and heat transfer in microchannels creates opportunities for more efficient chemical processing and separations.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
Since the early demonstrations of microfabricated “lab-on-a-chip” concepts in the 1980s/90s, the field has grown exponentially as fabrication methods have matured and new applications have emerged. Today, microfabricateds is a vibrant multidisciplinary research area spanning physics, engineering, materials science, chemistry and biology. Commercialization of microfabricated-based POC diagnostic devices, high-throughput screening systems and continuous microreaction technologies has begun in sectors like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and more.
further integration of micro/nano-scale manipulation and sensing components with fluidics promises to revolutionize fields like synthetic biology, tissue engineering and environmental monitoring. Microfabricateds will likely play an increasing role in sectors from personalized medicine to high-value manufacturing. Its capabilities for controlling fluids and interfaces at the smallest scales will continue enabling new scientific discoveries across many domains.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
