A pneumatic PDMS micropump with in-plane check valves for disposable microfluidic systems

Abstract

► PDMS micropump utilizing in-plane low-leakage check valves for efficient fluidic regulation. ► Fabricated using the simple PDMS replica molding technique. ► Features for simple design and easy system integration. This paper presents a pneumatic PDMS micropump utilizing two in-plane low-leakage check valves for efficient fluidic regulation, which allows for simple design and easy system integration. Regarding the structure of the micropump, it mainly consists of a pneumatic actuated flexible PDMS membrane, one pump chamber, and two in-plane check valves. In particular, the pair of valves utilizes a simple centered stopper-flap based configuration, which lies near each other forming restricted fluidic path to direct fluidic flow efficiently. Systemic characterization of the micropump has been performed by investigating its frequency-dependent pumping flow rate under various operational parameters including varied applied pneumatic pressures and pump geometry (i.e. different pump chamber diameters and heights). The test results demonstrate that the frequency-dependent pumping flow rate shows consistent trend under these various operational parameters, and a maximal flow rate of 34 μL/min is achieved at the driving frequency of 3 Hz and applied pressure of 25 kPa. The micropump could be fabricated using the simple PDMS replica molding technique, and hence is highly compatible to integrate with PDMS based microfluidic systems, providing benefits such as planar configuration, simple fabrication, use of low-cost PDMS material and disposability.