System level design of microfluidics

It is important to design microfluidic technologies for improving the efficiency of microfluidics and reducing the costs of research and development. However, system level design, modeling and simulation are significant methods for rapid design, optimization, and verification of the microfluidics. This paper introduces the principles and methods of microfluidic design, firstly. Then, it focuses on two main system level design methods, nodal analysis method and equivalent circuit method. After a brief discussion of microfluidic design technology, it introduces the modeling and simulation processes of the two methods, and overviews their research status and development trends in the last ten years at home and abroad. Finally, it summarizes merits and demerits of the two methods and discusses their development prospects. It points out that the system level design and modeling will be great superiority for design a microfluidic system with large-scale, complexity and multi-function.