Design Of Micropump Research Articles

A new design of electro-conjugate fluid micropumps with Venturi and teardrop-shaped electrodes

A new design of electro-conjugate fluid micropumps with Venturi and teardrop-shaped electrodes

Design and analysis of a wheel valve piezoelectric micropump with high performance

The delivery and distribution of fluid have wide applications in biomedicine, the fine chemical industry, pharmaceutical research, and other fields. However, existing fluid delivery and distribution systems often suffer from issues such as large size, excessive noise generation, and high-power consumption, rendering them unsuitable for convenient applications. Here, a wheel-shaped valve piezoelectric micropump with a size of only 10 mm*10 mm*1 mm is proposed and a prototype is prepared. The vibration mode, operating principle, and the liquid flow of the micropump are analyzed by finite element method. The output liquid (distilled water) flowrate of the pump is approximately 15 mL/min, and the maximum pump distilled water pressure can reach 100 KPa. The results indicate that the performance of the micropump is consistent with the analysis results, which shows its potential application in the field of portable devices and medical.

Displacement Micropump with Check Valves for Diabetes Care—The Challenge of Pumping Insulin at Negative Pressure

The displacement micropump with passive check valves is an attractive solution for precise insulin infusion in patients with type I diabetes. Unlike most insulin pumps that push insulin from a cartridge using a piston, a displacement micropump will first pull insulin from the reservoir before infusing it into the patient. This dual sequence introduces new challenges in terms of insulin stability, notably if the reservoir is not pressurized. After an introduction to displacement micropumps and a brief review of the insulin degradation mechanism, micropump design rules are discussed in light of microfluidic theory.

Design and validation of a piezoelectric diaphragm micropump for drug delivery

There is a common eye ailment called Dry Eye Disease (DED) that causes symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability, which cause damage to the ocular surface. For treatment of this illness, the application of artificial tear fluid is usually prescribed. This work presents the design process of a piezoelectric micropump to become part of an automatic pumping system for delivering artificial tear fluid to people suffering from DED. Low polarizing voltage, portability, and achieving a variable output flow rate in the range of 1 µl/min, which is the necessary range needed by a person suffering from DED, are the focus of this design. Standard microfabrication techniques widely used in the CMOS industry and for MEMS development will be used for manufacturing the proposed micropump. For this reason, the materials and manufacturing processes involved must be CMOS-compliant. For the piezoelectric actuator, zinc oxide (ZnO) was selected due to its compatibility with CMOS technology and because it is readily available in thin film form through a sputtering process. Other materials involved in the device are silicon and aluminum. The design was validated through finite element analysis software, COMSOL Multiphysics®. The maximum flow rate obtained by a single micropump device was 2.51µl/min operating at 20V peak with a frequency of 900Hz. Also, the flow rate is controllable through variations in frequency, thus making it suitable for the application previously described.

Highly integrable silicon micropumps using lateral electrostatic bending actuators

We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of an innovative silicon-based micropump with high potential for portable lab-on-chip (LoC) as well as point-of-care (PoC) applications. The actuators of the pump are electrostatic driven in-plane bending devices, which were presented earlier (Borcia et al. in Phys Rev Fluids 3(8): 084202, 2018. 10.1103/PhysRevFluids.3.084202; Uhlig et al. in Micromachines, 9(4), 2018. 10.3390/mi9040190). This paper presents the characterization results achieved with the micropump. The dielectric non-polar liquid Novec7100™ was used as a test liquid due to its adequate physical properties. When applying a periodic voltage of 130 V, a flow rate of up to 80 µL/min was detected. The counter pressure amounts up to 30 kPa and the correspondent fluidic power (volumetric flow rate times the counter pressure) was calculated to 10 µW. The pump contains passive flap valves at the inlet and outlet, which are based on a bending cantilever design. Depending on the application requirements, the micropump can be designed modularly to adjust the specific parameters by an adequate arrangement of pump base units. In this paper, the proof of principle is shown using a single base unit with different number of stacked NED-actuator beams, as well as the serial arrangement of base units. Both modular concepts target the increase of backpressure of the NED-micropump in an inherently different way compared to conventional membrane micropumps.

A numerical study on applying ion concentration polarization in micropump design

This work focuses on applying the phenomenon of ion concentration polarization to design and investigate a micropump model that is a kind of electroosmotic micropump. Numerical study is conducted for ion concentration polarization in the manner that generates electro-osmosis flow and pumping effect. The formation of the extended space charge layer and the actions of the electric field upon this layer is applied to generate electro-osmosis flow to drive flow in the system. It is clarified that pumping effect can be enhanced by improving the geometry configurations. Multiple simulations are conducted to obtain an optimal micropump design.

Microfluidic Delivery of High Viscosity Liquids Using Piezoelectric Micropumps for Subcutaneous Drug Infusion Applications.

Goal: Auto-injectors for self-administration of drugs are usually refrigerated. If not warmed up prior to the injection, ejection of the total drug volume is not guaranteed, as their spring and plunger mechanism cannot adjust for a change in viscosity of the drug. Here, we develop piezoelectric micro diaphragm pump that allows these modifications possible while investigating the effectiveness of this alternative dosing method. Methods: The dosing of highly viscous liquid of 25 mPa·s is made possible using application-specific micropump design. By comparing the analytical with experimental results, the practicality of the concept is verified. Results: Using a powerful piezoelectric stack actuator, the micropump achieves high fluid pressures of up to (368 ± 17) kPa. In order to assess the influence of viscosity, we characterize the fluidic performance of the designed micropump through 27G gauge needle for various water-glycerin mixtures. We find maximum flow rates of 2 mL/min for viscosities of up to 25 mPa·s. Conclusions: The developed micro diaphragm pump enables the development of smart auto-injectors with flow rate regulation to achieve drug delivery for high viscosity drugs through 27G needles.

Magnetic smart materials enabled micro-pump: design, modeling, and performance analysis

Smart materials have gained significant attention in various industries due to their exceptional properties and unique capabilities. Among these materials, smart magnetic materials have emerged as a promising candidate with the ability to sense and respond to environmental changes. This paper presents a novel micro-pump structure, fabricated using 0.18 µm integrated technology, which can be integrated into microfluidic systems and MEMS devices. In this study, the design and manufacturing process of the micro-pump, utilizing magnetic smart materials, are presented. The characteristics of the smart material and the micro-pump's performance are analyzed through simulations. The proposed micro-pump design incorporates one-way valves and has demonstrated improved efficiency and enhanced performance compared to conventional designs. The results of this study provide a foundation for further research and development of magnetic smart material-based micro-pumps and their potential applications in various fields, including lab-on-a-chip devices and biomedical engineering.

Design and numerical study of a bidirectional acoustic microfluidic pump enabled by microcantilever arrays.

Microfluidics offers a versatile and promising platform for various applications in biomedical and other fields, boasting cost-effectiveness, rapid analysis time, and a compact equipment footprint. However, achieving controlled and versatile microfluidic motion within implantable devices presents a significant challenge. In this study, we propose a novel bidirectional micro-pump design that leverages two sharp-edge microcantilever arrays, driven by ultrasound, to enable selective flow direction by manipulating the ultrasound frequency. Through systematic numerical simulation, we demonstrate the feasibility of this design and further optimize its performance through comprehensive parametric analysis. This work provides valuable guidance for the practical development of sharp-edge-based acoustic micro-pumps, particularly for potential implantable applications such as controlled drug release and in vivo sampling for advanced diagnostics.

Design and simulation of a MEMS-based piezoelectric micropump for bio-medical applications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to design and simulate a piezoelectric micropump using microelectromechanical systems technology for drug delivery applications.Design/methodology/approachTwo piezoelectric actuators are used to actuate and bend the diaphragms in the proposed structure. In this micropump, the liquid flow is rectified by two silicon check valves.FindingsThe use of two piezoelectric transducer (PZT) actuators in the parallel mod not only reduces dead volume but also increases stroke volume as well. In addition to increasing the flow rate, this phenomenon enhances the operation of the micropump to have self-priming as smoothly as possible.Originality/valueThis actuating method results in a 22% increase in flow rate and compression ratio, as well as a 15% reduction in function voltage. The fluid-solid interaction is simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3a.

Novel design of micropump based on multi-angle paper-based capillary approach for enhanced and well-controlled flow rates

Paper-capillary micropumps are advantageous as they are small in size, cost-effective, and easily disposable. However, capillary-based micropumps fabricated using the photolithography technique prevent exchanging of the pumping element. The liquid movement in paper-based micropumps is also difficult to control and manipulate as compared to non-paper-based micropumps. Therefore, in this study, the performance of a multi-angle paper-based capillary micropump that utilizes both hydrostatic and paper-capillary effects with a detachable paper matrix is presented. The design offers enhanced and controllable flow rates based on paper matrix types and platform inclination angles. In addition, the paper matrix pumping element does not involve in the analytical processes but rather only for fluid driving. Standalone operation shows a working range of flow rate comparable to some purely capillary- and hydrostatic-based micropumps reported in the literature. The proposed micropump shows that the flow rate is linearly increasing based on the types of capillary papers and platform inclination angles, giving a flow rate range of 2.3 μL/s ≤ [Formula: see text] ≤ 2.44 µL/s.

A microfluidic magnetohydrodynamic pump based on a thermally bonded composite of glass and dry film photoresist

Miniaturized on-chip micropumps with no moving parts are intriguing components for advanced lab-on-chip systems. Magnetohydrodynamic pumping is one possibility but requires further research with respect to microsystems design and fabrication. In this paper, the design and fabrication of a magnetohydrodynamic micropump is discussed using a composite of patterned glass and stacked dry film photoresist as demonstrator platform. The magnetohydrodynamic pumping effect is achieved by the superposition of an electric ion current generated by integrated electrodes and an external magnetic field provided by a permanent magnet. As test electrolytes, potassium chloride with potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) and potassium hexacyane iron (II) were used. Seamless fluid channel sidewalls were achieved from stacked dry film resists, which appear to be cast from a single mold. A liquid-tight sealing of the microchannels was realized by covering them with a thermally bonded laser-structured glass lid. Although, a complete characterization of the pump performance was not yet realized, the micropump in its current state serves as a technology demonstrator for further research of microfluidic on-chip micropumps that utilize the magnetohydrodynamic effect and also for other microfluidic systems.

Design and simulation of a piezoelectric micropump for drug delivery systems

Design and simulation of a piezoelectric micropump for drug delivery systems

High-Efficiency 3D-Printed Three-Chamber Electromagnetic Peristaltic Micropump

This paper describes the design and characteristics of a three-chamber electromagnetic-driven peristaltic micropump based on 3D-printing technology. The micropump is composed of an NdFeB permanent magnet, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film, a 3D-printing pump body, bolts, electromagnets and a cantilever valve. Through simulation analysis and experiments using a single chamber and three chambers, valved and valveless, as well as different starting modes, the results were optimized. Finally, it is concluded that the performance of the three-chamber valved model is optimal under synchronous starting conditions. The measurement results show that the maximum output flow and back pressure of the 5 V, 0.3 A drive source are 2407.2 μL/min and 1127 Pa, respectively. The maximum specific flow and back pressure of the micropump system are 534.9 μL/min∙W and 250.4 Pa/W, respectively.

Design and analysis of Double-cavity micropump of flexible valve

Piezoelectric micropump and surface tension micropump are generally favored in industrial applications, but these two micropumps have obvious defects through industrial practice. Due to the presence of a piezoelectric oscillator, it is difficult to reduce the volume by optimization further, and the oscillator will be damaged to a certain extent after use for a long time. Based on electric wetting on dielectric (EWOD), a new, efficient EWOD-driven flexible valve micropump is designed using EWOD and flexible valves to replace the conical tube, and a dual microchannel structure is proposed to reduce flow fluctuations at the outlet. The working principle of the EWOD flexible valve micro-pump is deeply discussed. The micropump design is optimized by the finite element method, and its performance is analyzed. The numerical analysis results show that: (1) When the flexible valve structure is adopted, the micropump outlet flow increases significantly. (2) When using the double microchannel, the outlet flow fluctuation of the micropump is significantly reduced. (3) Using the structure of the double microchannel, the micropump has two internal rings, and the direction of the inner ring is related to the direction of the vibration droplet. The EWOD micropump structure is designed to solve the reflux phenomenon in the current micropump pumping process

3D-Printed Impedance Micropump for Continuous Perfusion of the Sample and Nutrient Medium Integrated with a Liver-On-Chip Prototype.

In recent decades, organ-on-chip devices have gained substantial interest as an alternative for studying the pathophysiological processes relevant to drug screening. Micropumps are being utilized to simulate the in vivo physiological fluid flow more realistically in these organ-on-chip devices. Micropumps play a crucial role in pumping, perfusion, and circulation of fluids in various microdevices such as on-chip PCR, DNA microarrays, miniature bioreactor cell separation, and lab-on-chip biosensing platforms. With the rapid growth in technology, efficient pumping for proper circulation of media and nutrients has become imperative. In this study, we have described the design and development of an open-source impedance micropump for continuous perfusion of nutrient medium in a liver-on-chip prototype. This micropump is controlled via an integrated microcontroller board, with an observed flow rate ranging from 0.2 to 2 mL/min. Google Sketchup 2020 and DLP 3D printing were used to fabricate small precise parts of the impedance micropump. The flow rate was measured to characterize the actuating performance of the micropump. The poly-dimethyl siloxane-based liver-on-chip prototype has been fabricated using a soft photolithography procedure. Further, a study of continuous perfusion of culture medium through the liver-on-chip containing the Hepg2 cell line was successfully performed by integrating it with the impedance micropump. Hoechst staining and Alamar Blue observed cell viability to confirm the healthy cell growth inside the liver-on-chip microfluidic chip. The compactness of the overall setup allows it to fit in a Petri plate, eliminating chances of contamination while cell handling.

Design and Performance Analysis of Micropump for Drug Delivery Using Normal and Stacked Ring Type Piezoelectric Actuator

Design and Performance Analysis of Micropump for Drug Delivery Using Normal and Stacked Ring Type Piezoelectric Actuator

Characterization of Fluid Flow Through Porous Media

Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) are highly in demand because of their important usage in the field of medical diagnostic, biology and environmental testing. Porous media has been used as a μPADs with the benefits of cost-effective, excellent performance and ease of usage. Recently, porous media from paper-based filter paper has also been used as the main component for a self-powered imbibing micropump actuation. In this study, characterization of porous media from different specifications of Whatman ashless grade W40, W41 and W42 filter papers has been studied. In addition, the wicking or capillary flow capability of the porous media under an open and confined environment was also analyzed. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and ImageJ image processing have been used as the method to determine the filter paper characteristics. Whatman filter paper grade W41 has the highest percentage of porosity which is 70.82 %. The porosity of filter paper grade W40 and W42 are 70.24 % and 61.8 % respectively. Meanwhile, experiments were conducted to understand the water wicking process for Whatman filter paper for different paper shapes and environments. Diamond-shaped filter paper resulted in faster wicking in the free environment compared with the constraint environment. The percentage difference of the wicking under these environments is 61.56 % and 141.09 % for W40 and W41 filter paper respectively. The experiment conducted also confirmed that the wicking behavior of the capillary height of the liquid in filter paper is proportional to the square root of the time. This result agreed well with the Lucas-Washburn equation. In conclusion, the characteristics of the liquid flow in porous media are closely related to its specification as provided by the manufacturer. Furthermore, the decrease of liquid wicking in a confined environment is the result of the high resistance of a liquid to flow with decreased filter paper porosity, permeability and thickness. This study provides important findings that will help in the optimization and best design of self-powered imbibing micropump for microfluidic device development.

A Comparative Evaluation of Magnetorheological Micropump Designs.

In this study, we assessed the performance characteristics of five different magnetorheological micropump designs, two of which were our proposed designs, while others were from the existing designs in the literature. Comparisons have been performed based on physics-based simulations, and the fully coupled magneto-solid-fluid interaction simulations were carried out in COMSOL Multiphysics software. For a fair and meaningful comparison, both the material and geometric properties were kept the same, and the simulations were run for one complete pumping cycle. The results showed that the proposed flap and duckbill valve models could pump 1.09 µL and 1.16 µL respectively in 1 s, which was more than the rest of the existing micropump models. Moreover, at 0.5 s, when the magnetic flux density was maximum, the flap and duckbill valve models could pump almost twice as fluid as some of the existing valve models did. The results also demonstrated that the flap and duckbill valve models were nearly five times faster than some of existing models. In conclusion, the proposed two micropump models could propel more net fluid volume than the existing micropump designs, experienced low leakage during the contraction and expansion phase, and had faster response times. We believe that the present study provides valuable insights for future micropump designs, which have an extensive range of application areas, ranging from insulin dosing systems for T1D patients to artificial organs to transport blood and from organ-on-chip applications to micro-cooling systems.

Fabrication and flow rate characterization of a DRIE process based valveless piezoelectric micropump

Micropumps have become one of the major research topics in the field of microfluidics. Different actuators have been used in active micropumps including piezoelectric ones, which convert electrical energy to mechanical energy. In this study, a piezoelectric disc was designed as an actuator and was integrated into a fabricated piezoelectric micropump. Unlike wet etching methods, which is generally used to etch layers of relatively high thickness in the silicon wafer, dry etching was used in this study. Aluminum was used as a mask material during the fabrications-steps, and the fabrication process was shortened with the use of the masking steps. The etching process of the slot, in which the piezoelectric disc was placed, and etching of the inlet/outlet channels were performed simultaneously. Thus, the processing time was significantly shortened. The fabrication of this silicon-based valveless micropump was accomplished by using the DRIE (deep reaction-ion etching) technique, which provided controlled etching. Experiments were conducted on the fabricated micropump with the use of the bulk micromachining technology to deliver the desired pumping action. The leakage and the air entrapment between the consecutive micropump structural layers were satisfactorily eliminated. This micropump is capable of delivering a promising flow rate of 52 (µl min−1) for deionized water, which corresponds to a 150 [Hz] square wave type and a peak-to-peak voltage of 60 (V) Vp -p . No moving mechanical valves were included so that the risks of clogging, reduced performance, and reduced reliability due to wear and fatigue were minimized. Not only gases and liquids but also fluids containing particles could be used as the working fluid for this micropump. The piezoelectric micropump design was optimized to achieve a high time-averaged flow rate (>50 (µl min−1)) with a relatively low excitation voltage (<100 (V) Vp -p ) as opposed to the use of a high excitation voltage.