Electronics has its microtransistors. Now a research team has created a microscale valve for controlling fluid flows.
BY JEFFREY WINTERS
Microfluidics, which controls the flow of minuscule amounts of liquids, has found important applications in research biology, medicine, and even food science. While clever designs of microfluidic valves have enabled engineers to create rudimentary microfluidic “logic,” these passive microscale valves don’t have the power of hydraulic “fluid logic” systems, let alone microelectronics.