title: Nanofluidic bubble pump using surface tension directed gas injection.
abstract: A new concept for liquid manipulation has been developed and implemented in surface-micromachined fluid channels. It is based on the surface tension directed injection of a gas into the liquid flow through micrometer-sized holes in the microchannel wall. The injected gas is directed to an exhaust by a cross-sectional asymmetry of the microchannel and thereby moves minute liquid volumes. Successful pumping experiments were performed with single stroke volumes of tens of picoliters at frequencies around 1 Hz. The minimum actuation pressure is 0.6 bar for a 2-microm channel height, in accordance with theoretical predictions.
authors.affiliation: MESA Research Institute, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Tas
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Berenschot
authors.forename: T S J
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Lammerink
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elwenspoek
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van den Berg