Structure and mechanism of two types of micro-pump using polymer gel

Abstract

Micropumps using polymer gel actuators are proposed and two prototypes developed are described. One is actuated by a highly water absorbing polymer gel, while the other is actuated by a thermoresponsive polymer gel. The first type, the micro-capsule pump using the highly water absorbing polymer gel, consists structurally of an inlet with a semipermeable membrane, an outlet with a one-way valve, and a storage tank controlled by the water absorbing polymer gel. The gel rests within a thin film, and the semipermeable membrane is located on the inlet side. The important feature of this actuator is that an external driving power supply is not required in this micropump. The second type, the micropump using the thermoresponsive polymer gel, has two one-way valves which make use of the highly water absorbing polymer gel as a blocking ball. The polymer gel actuator used is constituted of polyvinyl methyl ether (PVME) atatic polymer gel. Repeating the heating and cooling processes causes, the PVME to repeat its shrinking and swelling motions. The micropump was tested on switching heating by a nichrome wire with electric current. >