Course: Microfluidic Application Platforms
Over more than a decade, an impressive portfolio of microfluidics-based technologies has emerged.
Their potential to miniaturize, automate, integrate and parallelize complex tasks in various fields such as the life sciences and process engineering has been clearly identified. However, many potential users are still confused which technologies are really available to solve their particular problems. These problems are often highly user-specific, requiring custom-tailored solutions. Such a specific development effort starting “from scratch” involves an appreciable investment paired with hardly assessable technological risks and long times-to-market, thus scaring off many potential customers. Beginning with a brief survey of microfluidics, this course describes how these techno-economical barriers can be overcome by the concept of microfluidic application platforms. To allow a cost-efficient and timely development of full-fledged custom solutions, these platforms comprise a set of validated microfluidic and non-microfluidic components, unit operations, design rules, materials, fabrication technologies and development tools. Several examples of microfluidic application platforms are outlined.
Target group
Engineers and researchers active in the field of microsystems technology.
Content
- Principles of Microfluidics
- Business Needs & Platform Concept
- Platform Example: Centrifugal Microfluidics (working principles, unit operations & system integration, development tools, materials & fabrication, pros & cons, applications)
- Platform: Well Plates & Microarrays
- Platform: Elektrokinetics
- Platform: Digital Microfluidics
- Other Platforms
