Abstract
In particle separation applications, conventional syringe pumps are widely used to supply fluid flow into microchannels at a controlled flow rate. However, their bulky structures lack the development of compact particle separation systems which is essential for all LoC (Lab on a Chip) systems. In this study, we designed and fabricated a peristaltic micropump which can be integrated into an inertial particle separation microchannel at the same layer with a compact design. Since inertial particle separation can be done without a need for an external force field, we aimed to develop a μTAS (Micro Total Analysis Systems) system which is able to realize particle separation in an integrated micropump-microchannel system. The circular micropump channel made of two PDMS layers and its width is optimized. The 3D-Printed micropump is actuated by a stepper motor, and the rate of pumped fluid is monitored by an LCD screen connected and programmed to system according to the system parameters. Micropump has a theoretical capacity of supplying particle carrying fluid at the flow rate of 25.47 ml/min when the stepper motor is rotated at 330 rpm.
Highlights
Micropumps are widely used to produce microscale fluid flows for the application fields ranging from biological and chemical assays like drug delivery systems, micro-dosing control mechanisms and particle separation devices to aerospace and microelectronics industry [1]
We aimed to develop a compact micropump system that can be used for inertial particle separation applications, and integrate it to the Sunflower microchannel geometry that we developed before
By using the stepper motor at its maximum capacity, it is possible to pump the fluid at the flow rate of 23.75 [ml/min] which is quite higher than the peristaltic micropumps that can be found in literature [16]
Summary
Micropumps are widely used to produce microscale fluid flows for the application fields ranging from biological and chemical assays like drug delivery systems, micro-dosing control mechanisms and particle separation devices to aerospace and microelectronics industry [1]. There is plenty of micropump designs that can be found in literature dedicated to carry out different tasks [2] They are generally classified with respect to the working principles of their actuator mechanisms. From this point of view, SMA (Sheet Metal Alloy) actuated micropumps [3], piezoelectric micropumps [4], ICPF (Ionic Conductive Polymer Film) based micropumps [5], peristaltic micropumps [6] and MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) micropumps [7] are developed in the last decade for variety of applications. The maximum flow rate that they can supply is not sufficient for applications like inertial particle separation which requires extraordinarily high flow rates [8] since the maximum achievable frequency limit for their membranes is not high enough. We aimed to develop a compact micropump system that can be used for inertial particle separation applications, and integrate it to the Sunflower microchannel geometry that we developed before
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