Miniaturized soft centrifugal pumps with magnetic levitation for fluid handling

Abstract

Centrifugal pumps are essential mechanical components for liquid delivery in many biomedical systems whose miniaturization can promote innovative disease treatment approaches. However, centrifugal pumps are predominately constructed by rigid and bulky components. Here, we combine the soft materials and flexible electronics to achieve soft magnetic levitation micropumps (SMLMs) that are only 1.9 to 12.8 grams in weight. The SMLMs that rotate at a rotation speed of 1000 revolutions per min to pump liquids with various viscosities ranging from 1 to 6 centipoise can be used in assisting dialysis, blood circulation, and skin temperature control because of excellent biocompatibility with no organ damage. The development of SMLMs not only demonstrates the possibility to replace rigid rotating structures with soft materials for handling large volumes of fluids but also indicates the potential for fully flexible artificial organs that may revolutionize health care and improve the well-being of patients.

Magnetic Soft Materials and Robots

“…[159][160][161]331,332 Fluid transport has also been demonstrated with circular tubes made of magnetic soft materials that are designed to mimic the peristaltic motion under traveling or rotating magnetic fields (Figure 22d) 195,333 or using a miniaturized centrifugal pump based on magnetic soft composites. 334 Other potential applications of reconfigurable surfaces based on magnetic pillar arrays have been proposed as well. As an example, by creation of arrays of micropillars with different responses or reactivity to an applied field to enable selective deformation of the pillars, it has been shown that the micropillar arrays can be encoded or encrypted with designed patterns that are visible only under an applied magnetic field (Figure 22e).…”

“…Arrays of micropillars or microplates based on magnetic soft materials have been used to create magnetically reconfigurable surfaces for different purposes. Through the superhydrophobic nature of micropillar arrays made of magnetic soft materials, for example, it has been shown that small liquid droplets or particles can be transported and manipulated on the arrays by controlling the applied magnetic field (Figure a). ,,, Similarly, magnetically reconfigurable surfaces based on micropillar or microplate arrays have been used for fluid transport (spreading, pumping, mixing) through magnetically induced topographical and wettability changes (Figure b) ,, or using dynamic metachronal waves created by magnetic cilia under rotating fields (Figure c). − ,, Fluid transport has also been demonstrated with circular tubes made of magnetic soft materials that are designed to mimic the peristaltic motion under traveling or rotating magnetic fields (Figure d) , or using a miniaturized centrifugal pump based on magnetic soft composites …”

Magnetohydrodynamic levitation for high-performance flexible pumps

“…( 20 ). Other examples ( 13 , 21 – 28 ) offer the potential for efficient, distributed fluidic actuation or analogous approaches to soft displacement and rotary pumps ( 13 , 29 – 42 ), and, while they all incorporate soft materials or could be envisioned as a viable pumping solution for soft robotic application; none report performance under deformation, limiting their practical application. Thus, there still remains an important need for a compliant displacement pump that offers high flow rates, q = O (10 2 ) mL⋅min −1 , and pressures, p = O (10 5 ) Pa, at a system duty point (i.e., system and pump-curve intersection) compatible with human-scale FEA systems, O (10 −1 to 10 0 ) m. Further, scalable and continuous performance under quasistatic or dynamic deformation should also be a feature of this pump to facilitate technology transfer.…”

Soft metamaterial with programmable ferromagnetism

“…Thin and flexible magnetic polymer materials have further been demonstrated with origami-based folding sequences 22 , 23 to program nonuniform magnetisation patterns on the sample. Flexible electronic circuits with different functions, such as flexible antennas, energy harvesting devices 23 , soft centrifugal pumps 24 and soft vibration sensors 25 , have been shown with origami-enabled soft magnetic materials.…”

“…Flexible electronic circuits with different functions, such as flexible antennas, energy harvesting devices 23 , soft centrifugal pumps 24 and soft vibration sensors 25 , have been shown with origami-enabled soft magnetic materials.…”