title: A planar PDMS micropump using in-contact minimized-leakage check valves.
abstract: We present a micropump with a simple planar design featuring compliant in-contact check valves in a single layer, which allows for a simple structure and easy system integration. The micropump, based on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), primarily consists of a pneumatically driven thin membrane, a pump chamber, and two in-plane check valves. The pair of check valves is based on an in-contact flap-stopper configuration and is able to minimize leakage flow, greatly enhancing the reliability and performance of the micropump. Systematic experimental characterization of the micropump has been performed in terms of the frequency response of the pumping flow rate with respect to factors including device geometry (e.g. chamber height) and operating parameters (e.g. pneumatic driving pressure and backpressure). The results demonstrate that this micropump is capable of reliably generating a maximum flow rate of 41μL min-1and operating against a high backpressure of up to 25 kPa. In addition, a lumped-parameter theoretical model for the planar micropump is also developed for accurate analysis of the device behavior. These results demonstrate the capability of this micropump for diverse applications in lab-on-a-chip systems.
authors: College of Mechanical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China ; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Junhui
authors: J
authors: Ni
authors: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA ; School of Electrical & Automation Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Fengliang
authors: F
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Bin
authors: B
authors: Wang
authors: College of Mechanical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors: Beizhi
authors: B
authors: Li
authors: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Qiao
authors: Q
authors: Lin