Thesis (PhDApSc(MineralsandMaterials))--University of South Australia, 2012. Includes bibliographical references. Open microchannels offer many advantages over conventional closed channels, such as relatively simple fabrication, straightforward cleaning, and easy surface modification. However, only a few studies have been performed on the dynamics of the liquid transport in these channels. A thorough understanding of the essential physical phenomena is the platform for designing related microfluidics devices. Therefore in this study the dynamics of capillary-driven liquid flow in microchannels is investigated. First, the dynamics of capillary-driven flow was studied for water and water-glycerol mixtures displacing against air in silica microchannels. The results show that for two channel cross-sections commonly used in microfluidic devices, the square of the position of the liquid front, x2, increased linearly with time, t, as predicted by Washburn. For a channel of the same depth, irrespective of the shape of the channel cross-section (rectangular or curved), the flow velocity increases with decreasing channel width. A modified Washburn equation, accounting for the different flow profile in the open channels was developed. The theoretical prediction was in good agreement with the experimental data for a no slip boundary condition at the liquid-air interface. Recently, metal oxides have been increasingly used in microfluidic devices due to their excellent properties. Investigation of their surface chemistry, including wettability, is of significant practical interest. In this thesis, the influence of heat treatment on the surface chemistry of an α-alumina crystal was studied. Surface spectroscopy and zeta potential were used to understand the heat-induced changes in the surface chemistry of α-alumina crystals. The pHpzc of an α-Al2O3 (0001) single crystal (~4) was found to be more acidic than that of α-Al2O3 particles (8.5), a difference explained by the dominance of ≡Al2OH surface groups on the single crystals and their charging behaviour. Heat treatment of the alumina surface decreases the number of surface OH groups. Heating at 1050 °C changes the surface morphology and surface chemistry, whereas at 500 °C only the density of surface hydroxyls decreases. The increased magnitude of the zeta potential and the pHpzc shift to lower pH suggests a surface reconstruction and the appearance of more acidic aluminium sites.