Microfluidics and nanofluidics have various implications for both the offensive and defensive sides of chemical, biological, and nuclear threats. In recent years, industry and research laboratories have invested enormous resources in microfluidic technologies, and remarkable progress has been made in their development and integration. Despite concerns by some specialists about potential nefarious uses of the technology, microfluidics has received little attention from the national security policy community.
Although the offensive and defensive implications are most significant for the chemical weapons domain, both biological and nuclear weapons also require chemistry, indicating potential applications for microfluidics. Some can be projected with considerable confidence, while others are more speculative, contingent on technological developments that are difficult to predict. This paper explores both extant and potential implications.
Read the full paper by Cyrus Jabbari and Philipp C. Bleek at the National Defense University .pdf