Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
microluidic immunoassay:
Immunoassay implemented in a microluidic format;
see
immunoassay.
microluidic patterning:
Class of micropatterning techniques that rely on the use of microlu-
idic devices to produce patterns.
microluidic photomask:
A photomask whose features are luids rather than solid patterns.
microluidic resistor:
A microluidic component with a low resistance that can be varied by
the user.
microluidics:
Field that studies and exploits the behavior of luids conined to small volumes,
such as microchannels, droplets, jets, and thin water ilms.
microjets:
Contraction of “microluidic jets,” a gradient-generation device that consists of
an open reservoir that is fed by two sets of high-resistance microchannels (the “micro-
jets”) on both sides of the reservoir at diferent concentrations, which quickly creates a
steady-state gradient. he device was invented by the author's laboratory in 2006.
micromachining:
A set of etching, deposition, and patterning techniques collectively used to
produce three-dimensional (or planar) microstructures.
micromixer:
Microluidic device that accepts two or more inputs and that fully or partially
homogenizes the mixture before it exits through the outlet.
micromolding:
A family of techniques that allows for molding microstructures.
micromolding in capillaries:
Microluidic technique that consists of the spontaneous wetting
of small PDMS microchannels by an organic prepolymer solution by capillary action
and the inal curing of the polymer in the microchannel once the illing is complete.
he technique was invented by George Whitesides' laboratory in 1995.
microneedle:
A microfabricated needle; the term applies to both hollow and solid microneedles,
which are built on planar wafers and are usually no longer than a few mm.
micropump:
A microfabricated/microluidic pump.
microscafold:
In tissue engineering, a temporary structure made of a biocompatible or biode-
gradable material such as a polymer, natural protein, or a hydrogel, that supports the
growth of tissue and vasculature and is eventually biodegraded by natural processes
such as hydrolysis or cell-secreted enzymes.
microstamping:
Technique that consists of contact-transferring a material of interest from a
microfabricated PDMS stamp onto a surface only on the areas contacted by the stamp.
Initially named “microcontact printing,” it was the irst sot lithographic technique
invented by George Whitesides' laboratory in 1993.
See
sot lithography, PDMS.
microstreaming:
Acoustic streaming efect that occurs near a gas boundary or when a bound-
ary is vibrating in a still medium, most notably around an ultrasound-vibrating air
bubble.
See
acoustic streaming.
microvalve:
A microfabricated valve.
MIMIC:
See
micromolding in capillaries.
morphogen:
A chemical substance that forms a concentration gradient from its cellular source
to trigger and govern a particular pattern of tissue development.
multi-photon lithography:
See
direct laser writing.
multiplexer:
In microluidics, as in microelectronics, a multiplexer is a device that selects one of
several inputs and forwards the selected input into a single line.
N
nanoimprint lithography nanoimprinting:
See
hot embossing.
Navier-Stokes equation:
Nonlinear partial diferential equation that describes the motion of
luids; it results from applying Newton's second law (
F
=
d
(
mv
)/
dt
) to luid motion. A
solution of the Navier-Stokes equation is a description of the velocity of the luid at a
given point in space and time and is called a velocity low ield.
