Microvalve

A microvalve is a microscale valve, i.e. a microfluidic two-port component that regulates the flow between two fluidic ports. Microvalves are basic components in microfluidic devices, such as labs-on-a-chip, where they are used to control the fluidic transport. During the period from 1995 to 2005, many microelectromechanical systems-based microvalves were developed.

Microvalves found today can be roughly categorized as active microvalves and passive microvalves. Based on the medium they control, microvalves can be divided into gas microvalves and liquid microvalves. Based on their initial mode, microvalves can be divided into normally open, normally closed and bistable microvalves.^[1]