Nanofluidic systems - Applications and technologies

Nanofluidics consists of the ultimate miniaturization of labs-on-a-chip and flow control inside nanometric devices. This article firstly outlines the key features of microfluidics, and proceeds to a presentaion of the specificities of nanofluidic systems. Recent progress in nanofabrication has allowed for their development and this article provides an overview of nanochannel fabrication techniques such as standard lithography, nanostructuration through alternative approaches and replication techniques. The phenomena at stake inside nanochannels are then presented as well as the first applications in fluidic electronics or in nano-manipulation of biomolecules for clinical diagnosis. Finally, a few perspectives are provided in order to demonstrate the strong applicative potential of nanofluidics in various sectors such as biology, nanotechnologies or optics.