A portable plug-and-play syringe pump using passive valves for microfluidic applications

Abstract

Portable and autonomous pumps are in critical demand for low-cost point-of-care testing (POCT) applications in microfluidic fields. In microfluidic laboratories, commercial pumps (e.g., syringe pumps, pressure pumps, or peristaltic pumps) are widely used for precise fluid delivery, however they can’t be integrated into miniaturized microfluidic devices due to their bulky sizes and high costs. Here, we propose a portable plug-and-play syringe pump with autonomous flow delivery function. Fluid stored in the pump is driven by a specially designed compression spring mechanism, and it is controlled by a microfluidic flow regulatory chip which contains three passive valves. Importantly, the liquid flow rate through the passive valve is independent of the fluidic pressure induced by the varied spring compression force, and constant flow autoregulation is realized through the microfluidic flow regulatory chip in the pump. This feature has been used for providing steady fluid infusions for passive sample mixing in a T-junction microfluidic mixer or high efficiency particle separation in an inertial microfluidic chip. We envision that the self-sufficient and portable plug-and-play syringe pump will facilitate the miniaturization of microfluidic systems which will shed light on the large-scale application of microfluidic technologies.