Going with the flow

Nanofluidics: nanoscience and nanotechnology

Joshua B Edel and Andrew J deMello (eds)

Cambridge, UK: RSC Publishing 2009 | 198 pp | ?94.95 (HB)

ISBN 9780854041473

Reviewed by Sally Peyman 

This book is the latest addition to the RSC’s Nanoscience & nanotechnology  series dealing specifically with the growing interest in the field of nanofluidics, which involves the flow of fluids through channels fabricated on the nanometre scale.  

The use of lab-on-a-chip devices in the micrometre scale has already been established and nanofluidics is described within these pages as the natural progression from microfluidics.  

The content is well balanced and the authors have successfully covered a broad field including motivations for nanofluidic research, fabrication, fundamental physical characteristics of the nanochannel environment, fluid dynamics, and flow behaviour. It also covers the application of nanofluidics to the controlled manipulation and detection of single molecules and polymers such as DNA.  

Each chapter is written by researchers active in a specific area of the field and addresses the subject with an introduction and a thorough theory section, which is complemented by supportive experimental data taken from the literature. Each chapter also takes a detailed look into current research and recent advances within each area.  

The content is multi-disciplinary and is aimed towards an audience with a good background knowledge of microfluidics and fluid dynamics, rather than an undergraduate student or the general scientific readership.  

Overall, the book is a comprehensive overview of the theory and recent advancements in nanofluidic technology and would benefit any researcher interested in the physical and analytical advantages of miniaturisation