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Published on: July 18, 2018
A Liquid-Metal Based Spiral Magnetohydrodynamic Micropump
Xuyan Zhou1,2, Meng Gao3, Lin Gui4,5
1Beijing Key Lab of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 29 Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, China. xuyanzhou2016@gmail.com.
A novel spiral magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) micropump uses liquid metal electrodes in a hybrid microfluidic chip. This device achieves a flow velocity of 233.26 μm/s, demonstrating potential for miniaturized systems.
Area of Science:
- Microfluidics
- Magnetohydrodynamics
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Microfluidic systems require efficient and miniaturized pumping solutions.
- Traditional micropumps face challenges with integration, moving parts, and contamination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate a novel liquid-metal based spiral magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) micropump.
- To evaluate the pumping performance of the developed MHD micropump.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-glass hybrid microfluidic chip with spiral channels.
- Utilizing liquid-metal filled channels as electrodes to generate an electrical field.
- Employing a PDMS gap to isolate liquid metal from the sample fluid.
- Testing with NaCl aqueous solution containing fluorescent particles under an applied voltage and magnetic field.
Main Results:
- The spiral MHD micropump successfully drove a sample fluid at a flow velocity of 233.26 μm/s at 3000 V.
- The device demonstrated effective fluid manipulation without moving parts.
- The design minimizes chip size through spiral channel configuration.
Conclusions:
- The proposed liquid-metal based spiral MHD micropump is a viable technology for microfluidic applications.
- The pump's design offers advantages in miniaturization, ease of fabrication, and integration.
- This technology holds promise for advanced microfluidic systems requiring precise fluid control.
