Future Perspective of Miniaturization /Lab-on-Chip for Environmental Application

New technologies have always been a major driving force in environment protecting device innovations, and it is largely due to the rising economic and social values of miniaturization. This includes the fact that, the ability of materials to dramatically change their properties at nanoscale has opened up many possibilities of making new devices, exploring technologies in a much better way than was possible earlier. Nanotechnology is not a single discipline or technology, but it has several sectors of technologies such as medicine, nanomaterials, fabrication, devices, communications, electronics, environment and energy. Lab-on-a-Chip devices are not nanostructures, but are in the micrometer to even millimeter range. However, environment sciences also require a microfluidic platform technology as an interface to the macro world for the handling of nanoparticles, cells or nanobarcodes; and to monitor and control cellular machinery. On the other hand, nanotechnology will enable novel microfluidic platforms by integrating detection and measurement techniques such as nanooptics, environment sensing, green manufacturing and many more applications to be discussed in the chapter. The uses and benefits of nanotechnology are enormous but there is a great concern regarding the nanomaterials which have potential to exert hazardous effects on human and the environment and to become a double edged weapon. Nanomaterials have the need to be evaluated accurately, so that this novel technology does not meet the same apprehensions and bottle-neck as faced by genetically modified crops. Most biological applications on lab on a chip are already commercialized in global market whereas for environmental chemistry, the field is still developing & the future perspectives have been also discussed in the chapter.