Fabrication of peristaltic electromagnetic micropumps using the SLA 3D printing method from a novel magnetic nano-composite material

Abstract

Micropumps are one of the main components of microfluidic systems that play an essential role in the development of these systems. They are responsible for the fluid movement inside the microfluidic systems. In this paper, three electromagnetic micropumps with single, double, and triple chambers fabricated using the stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing method from a novel UV-curable magnetic nanocomposite material are presented. The components of this micropump include nozzle-diffuser microchannels, a chamber, a flexible magnetic membrane, and a micro-coil. To determine the characteristics of the proposed micropumps, the effect of the electric current signal and its patterns and magnetic field strength on the temperature changes, magnetic nanoparticle concentration on the membrane displacement, and flow rate of the micropump have been investigated. The micropump membrane with 5 wt% nanoparticles concentration can achieve a displacement of 65 µm for an electric current of 1000 mA in 12 s. The highest fluid flow rate of single, double, and triple chamber micropumps are 78, 316, and 600 nL/s, respectively, at an electric signal with a period of 8 s and a duty cycle of 60%.