A Peristaltic Pump Integrated on a 100% Glass Microchip Using Computer Controlled Piezoelectric Actuators

Abstract

Lab-on-a-chip technology is promising for the miniaturization of chemistry, biochemistry, and/or biology researchers looking to exploit the advantages of a microspace. To manipulate fluid on a microchip, on-chip pumps are indispensable. To date, there have been several types of on-chip pumps including pneumatic, electroactive, and magnetically driven. However these pumps introduce polymers, metals, and/or silicon to the microchip, and these materials have several disadvantages, including chemical or physical instability, or an inherent optical detection limit. To overcome/avoid these issues, glass has been one of the most commonly utilized materials for the production of multi-purpose integrated chemical systems. However, glass is very rigid, and it is difficult to incorporate pumps onto glass microchips. This paper reports the use of a very flexible, ultra-thin glass sheet (minimum thickness of a few micrometers) to realize a pump installed on an entirely glass-based microchip. The pump is a peristaltic-type, composed of four serial valves sealing a cavity with two penetrate holes using ultra-thin glass sheet. By this pump, an on-chip circulating flow was demonstrated by directly observing fluid flow, visualized via polystyrene tracking particles. The flow rate was proportional to the pumping frequency, with a maximum flow rate of approximately 0.80 μL/min. This on-chip pump could likely be utilized in a wide range of applications which require the stability of a glass microchip.

A New Non-Invasive Air-Based Actuator for Characterizing and Testing MEMS Devices

“…The results showed that a force of 15.7 nN could be generated on a circular surface of R = 5 µm when air velocity is 60 m/s, and the Z is 25 µm. This phenomenon also was reported by Jungchul Lee et al [55,56], in which they asserted that the effective flow field depends on the separation field, which is the distance between the nozzle exit and the effective area. However, in the same distance of nozzle exit, the liquid jet is focused, and the nitrogen will flow on the surface in a cone-shaped area.…”

“…AbFM can be applied to new emerging microfluidic and micro-pump systems that need fluidic force to check their working conditions and check the inside material functions. Microfluidic passive flow regulatory devices [55], integrated peristaltic pumps, [56], and compact hollow structures for microfluidic pumping [57] are three important examples of a potential target of AbFM use for testing and characterizing. AbFM method is a promising method for future testing and characterization of MEMS devices; however, there are some important concerns that need to be addressed in future contributions.…”

Emergence of traveling waves in linear arrays of electromechanical oscillators

“…Beyond this initial demonstration, traveling wave synchronization of CCEP oscillators may be useful for peristaltic pumping within microfluidic systems. Unlike standard pressure pumps, those based on traveling wave motions allow for recirculating flows 36 and would complement existing applications of CCEP in microfluidic cargo transport 22,37 , separations 22 , and fluid mixing 38 . These CCEP-powered unit operations rely on constant voltages at low input power, which makes them attractive for use in portable, battery-powered microfluidic devices 13 .…”

Integration of a Reconstituted Cell-free Protein-synthesis System on a Glass Microchip

“…25 By utilizing glass for microfluidics-based systems, the repeatability and productivity can be increased compared with that of PDMS microchips. Moreover, by incorporating glass valves and pumps on a microchip, 26,27 parallel synthesis might also be achieved in the future, with a corresponding increase in the product yield.…”