Design and Fabrication of New Microfluidic Valves

In this paper we present the design and simulation of a new type of microfluidic valves capable of doing simple Boolean operations: AND, OR. The valves are actuated by the fluid flow, thus eliminating the need to connect them to a compressed air source or to electrical power for electromechanical actuation. To develop efficient smart microfluidic systems it is essential to understand the microscale phenomena that govern fluid flow properties through microchannels. It is well established that microscale flow differs from macroscale in one key aspect - the significance of surface tension forces.