This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Insights and Advancements in Microfluidics" that was published in Micromachines

Annotation Microfluidics has developed rapidly over the past three decades. Relentless diagnostic, medical and chemical applications have been demonstrated in various applications, plateforms and tools. Have microfluidics realized its full potential? Or is it only a leveraging academic tool? In this Special Issue, we focus on both insights and advancements in microfluidics. We invite emerging investigators and pioneers to contribute commentaries, perspectives and insightful reviews on related topics. The various insights from esteemed colleagues will be collated. We will also discuss technological breakthrough of original works in both short communications and full papers. The main idea is to stimulate the community and to provide an unique collection of insightful papers. We will also cover various topics ranging from 3D printing, paper-based microfludics to conventional polymer-based microfluidics which contributes to the technological advancements.

Microfluidics has developed rapidly over the past three decades. Relentless diagnostic, medical and chemical applications have been demonstrated in various applications, plateforms and tools. Have microfluidics realized its full potential? Or is it only a leveraging academic tool? In this Special Issue, we focus on both insights and advancements in microfluidics. We invite emerging investigators and pioneers to contribute commentaries, perspectives and insightful reviews on related topics. The various insights from esteemed colleagues will be collated. We will also discuss technological breakthrough of original works in both short communications and full papers. The main idea is to stimulate the community and to provide an unique collection of insightful papers. We will also cover various topics ranging from 3D printing, paper-based microfludics to conventional polymer-based microfluidics which contributes to the technological advancements.

Microfluidics and nanofluids are rapidly growing technologies of tremendous potential and benefits. This book features a spectrum of topics on these emerging technologies that include microfluidic applications, mass production of chips, flow sensing approaches, fabrication of microfluidic channels using the micromilling process, application of micromixers for wastewater treatment and life cycle assessment, solar thermal conversion of plasmonic nanofluids, and liquid cooling, as well as carbon capture utilization and storage using nanocomposite and nanofluids. The book is intended to provide useful information and guidance to a wide variety of people including students, researchers, engineers, and manufacturers who are involved or interested in these technologies.

Advances in Microfluidics provides a current snapshot of the field of microfluidics as it relates to a variety of sub-disciplines. The chapters have been divided into three sections: Fluid Dynamics, Technology, and Applications, although a number of the chapters contain aspects that make them applicable to more than one section. It is hoped that this book will serve as a useful resource for recent entrants to the field as well as for established practitioners.

Microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip have, in recent years, come to the forefront in diagnostics and detection. At point-of-care, in the emergency room, and at the hospital bed or GP clinic, lab-on-a-chip offers the potential to rapidly detect time-critical and life-threatening diseases such as sepsis and bacterial meningitis. Furthermore, portable and user-friendly diagnostic platforms can enable disease diagnostics and detection in resource-poor settings where centralised laboratory facilities may not be available. At point-of-use, microfluidics and lab-on-chip can be applied in the field to rapidly identify plant pathogens, thus reducing the need for damaging broad spectrum pesticides while also reducing food losses. Microfluidics can also be applied to the continuous monitoring of water quality and can support policy-makers and protection agencies in protecting the environment. Perhaps most excitingly, microfluidics also offers the potential to enable entirely new diagnostic tests that cannot be implemented using conventional laboratory tools. Examples of microfluidics at the frontier of new medical diagnostic tests include early detection of cancers through circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and highly sensitive genetic tests using droplet-based digital PCR. This Special Issue on “Advances in Microfluidics Technology for Diagnostics and Detection” aims to gather outstanding research and to carry out comprehensive coverage of all aspects related to microfluidics in diagnostics and detection.

Increasing innovations and applications make microfluidics a versatile choice for researchers in many disciplines. This book consists of multiple review chapters that aim to cover recent advances and new applications of microfluidics in biology, electronics, energy, and materials sciences. It provides comprehensive views of various aspects of microfluidics ranging from fundamentals of fabrication, flow control, and droplet manipulation to the most recent exploration in emerging areas such as material synthesis, imaging and novel spectroscopy, and marriage with electronics. The chapters have many illustrations showcasing exciting results. This book should be useful for those who are eager to learn more about microfluidics as well as researchers who want to pick up new concepts and developments in this fast-growing field.