Selected Papers from 5th International Conference on Microfluidic Handling Systems (MFHS2024)

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will publish both selected papers from the 5th International Conference on Microfluidic Handling Systems (https://www.utwente.nl/en/eemcs/mfhs2024/, 21–23 February 2024, Munich, Germany) and external contributions. Manuscripts submitted to the journal Micromachines should be extended by at least 40% compared with that of the conference proceedings.

Worldwide, the accurate handling—i.e., analysis, dosage, measurement and control—of small and extremely small flows of both gases and liquids is becoming increasingly important, driven by numerous applications. Examples of economically and societally relevant applications include medical multi-infusion systems, respiratory systems for patients with lung diseases, equipment for high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS), flow and pressure control in organ-on-a-chip systems, research on catalysts, energy content measurement in (mixtures of) fuel gases, including biogas and hydrogen, dosage systems for accurately dosing additives, such as vitamins to food and beverages, the production of specialty baby food with high nutritional value, the production of vaccines and pharmaceuticals via flow chemistry and fermentation, and the production of solar cell panels via CVD and ALD processes.

Whether in analytical instrumentation, flow chemistry, energy, the semiconductor industry, the food and beverage industry or life sciences, microfluidic handling systems face several major challenges: (1) a need for accurate measurement and calibration facilities; (2) a need for complete functional systems rather than individual components; (3) the commercialisation of academic research results; (4) the standardisation of fabrication technology and materials, modules and connections, and quality assurance and test equipment; (5) cross-overs between technologies, e.g., microfluidics and electronics, and microfluidics and robotics; and last but not least, (6) the rise of machine learning-enhanced fluidic systems.

In the future, the impact of this field of research may proliferate and large target markets may arise, especially when spin-off companies start manufacturing and selling their products, systems or pilot plants.

The focus of this conference is primarily on the technology, components, devices and systems that enable the application of microfluidic systems. We welcome the submission of papers on systems and devices that can be applied to the accurate handling (e.g., dosing, measurement, analysis and control) of (extremely) small flows of both gases and liquids, and the corresponding measurement and control principles; this includes cross-over technologies with, e.g., electronics and robotics, and machine learning-enhanced fluidic systems, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Thermal, ultrasonic, Coriolis and other principles for flow measurement
• Piezo-electric, electromagnetic, electrostatic and other principles for flow control
• Electronic instrumentation, closed-loop control systems
• Innovative methods in calibration equipment and methodology
• Micro- and nanomachining, 3D printing and other fabrication technologies
• Device or wafer-level characterization, packaging and testing
• Machine learning for improving the performance and design of fluidic systems
• Application proposals

Welcome topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Sensors: Flow, pressure, viscosity, temperature, conductivity, heat capacity, density, pH, refractive index, and relative permittivity.
2. Actuators: Valves (normally open and normally closed), micropumps, mixers, dispensers, micro reactors, droplet generators, and actuation principles (piezo, electrostatic, SMA, thermo-pneumatic, …)
3. Machine learning: Fluid classification, prediction of water-in-oil emulsion sizes, micropump design and performance improvement, self-sensing of piezo-driven microfluidic actuators, deep learning architectures for biological analysis, and deep learning for experimental design and control.
4. Fluidic systems: Mass flow controllers, precision mixing, dosing and dispensing, calibration, multiparameter systems, and evaporators.
5. Applications: Gas chromatographs, liquid chromatographs, medical analyses, micro reaction systems, bio-analytical systems, flow chemistry, organ-on-a-chip systems, production of pharmaceuticals, integrated cooling of power electronics, patch pumps, drug delivery in surgical robot systems, implantable drug delivery systems, gas sensor systems with sampling, and scent dosing systems.

Prof. Dr. Joost Lötters
Dr. Martin Richter
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.