Current micropump technologies and their biomedical applications

Amirouche, Farid; Zhou, Yu; Johnson, T.

doi:10.1007/s00542-009-0804-7

Cited by 289 publications

(182 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…In addition, the existence of moving parts increases the potential for failure, which can become acute in complex systems and which could potentially include numerous pumps. Among the varieties of mechanical pumps, only piezoelectric units can produce high flow rates as large as 20,000 μL/min at relatively low input power (>50 mW) (13,15). However, piezoelectric units generally require operating voltages larger than 100 V (13,15).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among the varieties of mechanical pumps, only piezoelectric units can produce high flow rates as large as 20,000 μL/min at relatively low input power (>50 mW) (13,15). However, piezoelectric units generally require operating voltages larger than 100 V (13,15). Alternatively, nonmechanical pumps with no moving parts generate a driving force using ions energized via electrohydrodynamic (16), electroosmotic (17), or electrochemical (18,19) effects.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Liquid metal enabled pump

Tang¹,

Khoshmanesh²,

Sivan³

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

321

285

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Small-scale pumps will be the heartbeat of many future micro/ nanoscale platforms. However, the integration of small-scale pumps is presently hampered by limited flow rate with respect to the input power, and their rather complicated fabrication processes. These issues arise as many conventional pumping effects require intricate moving elements. Here, we demonstrate a system that we call the liquid metal enabled pump, for driving a range of liquids without mechanical moving parts, upon the application of modest electric field. This pump incorporates a droplet of liquid metal, which induces liquid flow at high flow rates, yet with exceptionally low power consumption by electrowetting/deelectrowetting at the metal surface. We present theory explaining this pumping mechanism and show that the operation is fundamentally different from other existing pumps. The presented liquid metal enabled pump is both efficient and simple, and thus has the potential to fundamentally advance the field of microfluidics.E ngines are systems that convert different kinds of energy into mechanical motion, which are used in various microscale systems, including laboratory-on-a-chip microreactors (1-3), microelectromechanical (MEMS) actuators (4), and microscale heat exchangers (5, 6), to name just a few. Some of the most important members of the engine family are liquid pumps. In the small-scale regime, such pumps can be mainly classified into mechanical and nonmechanical. For mechanical pumps, the driving force is generated by moving parts that are energized using piezoelectric (7), electrostatic (8), thermopneumatic (9), pneumatic (10), electromagnetic (11) effects, or deformation through electrowetting (12). Mechanical pumping systems have several drawbacks, which largely stem from the fact that moving parts cause energy loses due to heat generated by friction and their rather complicated fabrication processes (13,14). In addition, the existence of moving parts increases the potential for failure, which can become acute in complex systems and which could potentially include numerous pumps. Among the varieties of mechanical pumps, only piezoelectric units can produce high flow rates as large as 20,000 μL/min at relatively low input power (>50 mW) (13, 15). However, piezoelectric units generally require operating voltages larger than 100 V (13, 15). Alternatively, nonmechanical pumps with no moving parts generate a driving force using ions energized via electrohydrodynamic (16), electroosmotic (17), or electrochemical (18, 19) effects. However, ion pumps are generally only applicable for low-conductivity liquids, produce relatively low flow rates, and need very high voltages (in the order of kilovolts) to operate (13). Therefore, a pumping system with no moving parts, high flow rate, and low power consumption is ideal for many present-day and emerging applications in microfluidic systems. An ambitious vision is that such pumps can potentially be used for moving small objects on demand, assembling them to create new structures, or could ...

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confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Liquid metal enabled pump

Tang¹,

Khoshmanesh²,

Sivan³

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

321

285

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…It is likely that the dynamic surface of the honeybee's glossa helps Apis mellifera ligustica make use of a limited nectar resource to accommodate the energyintensive lifestyle (Harper et al, 2013). The honeybee's asynchronous erection and section-wise wettability properties of glossal hairs for nectar feeding could serve as valuable models for developing miniature viscous micropumps that are both protrusible and have a highly dynamic hydrophilic surface (Amirouche et al, 2009). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erection pattern and section-wise wettability of honeybee glossal hairs in nectar feeding

Zhu

Yan

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The honeybee's tongue (glossa) is covered with bushy hairs and resembles a mop or a brush. We examined the dimensions of glossal hairs of the Italian honeybee (Apis mellifera ligustica) and found that the average length of hairs increased from the proximal segment to the distal end. The glossal dynamic surface of a honeybee in drinking cycles was captured by a specially designed high-speed camera system, and we discovered that the glossal hairs erected rhythmically when drinking nectar; specifically, hairs on the proximal segment erected earlier than those on the distal end of a honeybee's tongue, which was identified as the phenomenon of asynchronous hair erection. Moreover, by measuring the wettability of the tongue, we found that the flabellum was the most hydrophilic and the root of the tongue was hardest to be wetted. According to our observations, we suggest that the honeybee has an optimal hair-erection pattern that could balance nectar intake and viscous drag. These results will be helpful to understand the liquid-feeding mechanism of honeybees, especially the role of erectable glossal hairs.

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“…They can manipulate small volumetric fluids on spatial scales, from several to a hundred microns [1][2][3]. Nowadays, they have been widely used in many scientific and technical fields of microfluidics, such as biological/chemical analysis and assays [4][5][6][7], liquid drug reagent injection/delivery [8][9], and microelectronic chip cooling [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electroosmotic Flow Pump

Gao¹,

Gui²

2016

Advances in Microfluidics - New Applications in Biology, Energy, and Materials Sciences

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Electroosmotic flow (EOF) pumping has been widely used to manipulate fluids such as liquid sample reagents in microfluidic systems. In this chapter, we will introduce the research progress on EOF pumps in the fields of microfluidic science and technology and briefly present their microfluidic applications in recent years. The chapter focuses on pump channel materials, electrodes, and their fabrication techniques in microfluidics.

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Current micropump technologies and their biomedical applications

Cited by 289 publications

References 85 publications

Liquid metal enabled pump

Liquid metal enabled pump

Erection pattern and section-wise wettability of honeybee glossal hairs in nectar feeding

Electroosmotic Flow Pump

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