An Electromagnetically-Actuated All-PDMS Valveless Micropump for Drug Delivery

Micromachines

Yu Zhou¹ 

关键词: MEMS;    valveless micropump;    PDMS membrane;    micro magnet;    drug delivery;    microfluidics;   

DOI  :  10.3390/mi2030345

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This paper presents the fabrication process of a single-chamber planar valveless micropump driven by an external electromagnetic actuator. This micropump features a pair of micro diffuser and nozzle elements used to rectify the fluid flow, and an elastic magnetic membrane used to regulate the pressure in the enclosed fluid chamber. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used as the main construction material of this proposed micropump, including the structural substrate and the planar actuation membrane embedded with a thin micro magnet. Both the Finite Element Method and experimental analysis are used to assess the PDMS-membrane actuation under the applied electromagnetic forces and characterize the pump performance at variable working conditions. The resonant frequency of this micropump is identified experimentally and de-ionized (DI) water is loaded to account for the coupling effects of the working fluid. The experimental data was used to demonstrate the reliability of flow rates and how it can be controlled by consistently adjusting the driving frequencies and currents. The proposed micropump is capable of delivering a maximum flow rate of 319.6 μL/min and a maximum hydrostatic backpressure of 950 Pa (9.5 cm H₂O). The planar design feature of the pump allows for potential integration of the pump with other PDMS-based microfluidic systems for biomedical applications.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.