Small but Perfectly Formed? Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities for Microfluidics in the Chemical and Biological Sciences

Microfluidic systems are pervasive in many areas of experimental science, but what are the real advantages of this technology? We describe some of the features and properties that make microfluidic devices unique experimental tools. In addition to pointing out some of the less effective uses of this technology, we assess the most successful applications of microfluidics over the last two decades and highlight the areas where they had the greatest impact. We also propose applications where microfluidic systems could be applied to the greatest effect in the future.