Microfluidics and Its Applications in Bionanotechnology

Abstract

Several advantages of microfluidic systems such as rapid control, reduced size, low costs, large-scale integration and in vivo simulation of cellular microenvironments make them suitable for diverse bionanotechnological applications. This chapter reviews major current and potential microfluidic applications in bionanotechnology, including miniaturized devices related to common molecular biological techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA microarray and electrophoresis; microfluidic bioreactors; and monitoring microbial behaviour by microfluidics. Additionally, present applications and future potential of microfluidics in microbial strain development and single cell analysis/characterization are discussed.