Preface; 1 Introduction and Overview; 1.1 Micro- and nanofluidics; 1.2 Some micro- and nanofluidic devices; 1.3 What is it about the nanoscale?; 1.4 Nanotechnology; 1.5 What is a fluid?; 1.6 Historical perspectives; 1.6.1 Fluid mechanics; 1.6.2 Heat and mass transfer; 1.6.3 Electrokinetic phenomena; 1.7 The thermal sciences; 1.8 Electrostatics; 1.9 Electrolyte solutions; 1.10 The electrical double layer; 1.11 Colloidal systems; 1.12 Molecular biology; 1.13 The convergence of molecular biology and engineering; 1.14 Design of micro- and nanofluidic devices; 1.15 Unit systems.1.16 A word about notation1.17 Chapter summary; 2 Preparatory Concepts; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 Important constitutive laws; 2.3 Determining transport properties; 2.3.1 Viscosity; 2.3.2 Diffusion coefficient; 2.3.3 Thermal conductivity; 2.3.4 Electrical permittivity; 2.3.5 Surface tension and wettability; 2.4 Classification of fluid flows; 2.5 Elements of thermodynamics; 2.6 The nature of frictional losses in channels and pipes; 2.7 Chapter summary; Exercises; Exercises; Exercises; Exercises; Exercises; Exercises; Exercises; Exercises.3 The Governing Equations for an Electrically Conducting Fluid3.1 Introduction; 3.2 The continuum approximation and its limitations; 3.3 Kinematics; 3.4 Surface and body forces; 3.5 The continuity equation; 3.6 The Navier -- Stokes equations; 3.7 Mass transport; 3.7.1 Definitions; 3.7.2 Governing equation; 3.8 Electrostatics; 3.9 Energy transport; 3.10 Two-dimensional, steady, and incompressible flow; 3.11 Boundary and initial conditions; 3.11.1 Velocity boundary conditions; 3.11.2 Mass transfer boundary conditions; 3.11.3 Electrostatics boundary conditions.3.11.4 Temperature boundary conditions3.11.5 Other boundary conditions; 3.12 Dimensional analysis and similarity; 3.13 Fluid, electrostatics, and heat and mass transfer analogies; 3.13.1 Mole fraction and temperature similarity; 3.13.2 Velocity and electrical potential similarity; 3.14 Other stress -- strain relationships; 3.15 Mathematical character of partial differential equations; 3.15.1 Introduction; 3.15.2 Mathematical classification of second-order partialdifferential equations; 3.15.3 Characteristic curves; 3.15.4 Boundary and initial conditions.3.15.5 Classification of the governing equations of micro- and nanofluidics3.16 Well-posed problems; 3.17 The role of fabrication, experiments, and theory in micro- and nanofluidics; 3.18 Chapter summary; 4 The Essentials of Viscous Flow; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 The structure of flow in a pipe or channel; 4.3 Poiseuille flow in a pipe or channel; 4.4 The velocity in slip flow; 4.4.1 Gases; 4.4.2 Liquids; 4.5 Flow in a thin film under gravity; 4.6 The boundary layer on a flat plate; 4.7 Fully developed suction flows; 4.8 Developing suction flows; 4.9 The lubrication approximation.4.10 A surface tension -- driven flow.