There is more that microfluidics can offer than just scaling down volumes! Different physical phenomena have often different significance on different size scales; new and sometimes counterintuitive behavior becomes apparent (to the "macro-world" observer) when forcing flows through microchannels. The probably best known case is the laminar,i.e. turbulence free, flow regime, which means that fluid flows and mixing become predictable. This is almost never the case in macroscopic flows, where turbulent and chaotic behavior is dominant. Yet another important feature of microfluidics is the size scale, which is very similar to the one of biological cells, the building blocks of life! The development of microfluidic devices and tools thus creates new pathways and solutions in molecular and cellular biology, medical diagnostics and drug development.
Microfluidics
