High-performance microcalorimeters: Design, applications and future development

Microcalorimetry has been widely used to measure and characterize the heat change in phase transition, resolution mixing, and chemical/biochemical reactions. In this review, we discuss progress in the development of high-performance microfabricated calorimeters starting with their design, fluid handling, and temperature measurement. The considerations of chip design are highlighted. Then, a few representative applications are introduced and their chip parameters and properties are compared. Finally, trends and prospects of microcalorimeters for high-performance applications, such as enthalpy measurements in minute volumes of chemicals suitable for drug discovery as well as bio-applications in energy balance monitoring of living cells and investigation of their thermogenesis, are discussed.