Abstract:

In this study, we develop a microfluidic pump which utilizes the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) conduction of a working fluid. Ring-shaped pumps have been used in previous studies on EHD conduction, but these require a three-dimensional arrangement of electrode pairs, which makes it difficult to downsize the apparatus. Here, we propose a mechanism to achieve one-way fluid flow in the micro-channels by arranging non-parallel electrodes in a plane to generate an asymmetric electric field. One advantage of this design is that it can be easily and precisely fabricated using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) processing techniques: this has allowed us to integrate a micro-pump and a micro-channel into a single device. Moreover, the pressure generated by the pump is induced solely by electrochemical reactions; as mechanical components such as gears are not required, this helps to reduce noise generated by the device.

Tasuku Sato,*1 Yoko Yamanishi,2 Vito Cacucciolo,3 Yu Kuwajima,1 Hiroki Shigemune,1,4 Matteo Cianchetti,3 Cecillia Laschi,3 and Shingo Maeda1 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1246/cl.170217

Link: http://www.journal.csj.jp/doi/abs/10.1246/cl.170217

#04122017 #chemistry #electrode #microchannels #MEMS #labonachip #electrochemical