Revealing polymeric fluids behavior at the microscopic scale
An important concept in future healthcare is the development of devices called "lab on a chip." These "chips," not related to the electronic ones found in computers, are small devices in which biological fluids – blood or urine for example – are injected to fill specifically designed microscopic channels. These channels would contain biosensors which could detect for example specific markers for diseases within the fluid and provide a quick diagnosis. A large array of analyses could be performed on a device a few centimeters square. However, an arising issue is the size of the fluid sample injected inside the chip, with tiny volumes down to a billionth of a liter. Due to lack of available technologies, researchers do not yet fully understand how fluids – particularly complex ones of biological origins - behave at such small scales.