Subscribe to Newsletter
Fields & Applications Micro/Nano-scale, Technology, Clinical

Biomimetic Micropump

The potential of microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technology is clear, but real-world applications have been slow to emerge. A lack of effective and inexpensive micropump options has been one challenge slowing the pace of development. Now, researchers from Penn State University believe they have the answer: an acoustofluidic pump, powered by a piezoelectric transducer (1). The pump uses acoustic waves to deliver fluids and, because of its low power consumption, it could be easily integrated into cell phone-based pointof- care diagnostic systems.

1014-205-biomimetic-main

“Swimmers were our inspiration,” says Tony Huang who led the team. “When we swim, we have to keep our legs kicking, which exerts a force on the water. The water, simultaneously, exerts a force back, making our body swim forward. This is the motion of Newton’s third law. In this case, if we keep our upper body stationary, while consistently kicking, there must be a net force exerted on water to push the flow backward. We started to think about whether we could use previously proposed sharp-edge oscillation to realize fluid propulsion motion.”

Indeed, the pump works by acoustically oscillating solid, tilted sharp-edge structures that are constructed onto the sidewall of the microfluidic channel. Upon oscillation, these structures generate acoustic streaming effects, which in turn generate net forces in the direction that the sharp-edge structured oriented. While the idea is relatively simple and the fabrication is relatively easy, the sharp-edge structures are constructed in a silicon mold using deep reaction ion etching, which could be a challenge in terms of mass production.

However, Huang believes the effort is worthwhile as the technology offers several advantages over other micropumps. “Active, on-demand control means that the pump works whenever we want it to,” says Huang. “It can also generate a range of pumping flow rates, from nanoliters to microliters per minute; and the performance can be adjusted by changing the numbers of sharp-edge structures and the voltages applied to the piezoelectric transducer.

Perhaps most special of all, it can achieve various kinds of flow operations by programming the input signals to the piezoelectric transducers; the pulsed pumping flow, for instance, can be used to mimic cardiac flow in microfluidic chip to perform cardiovascularrelated studies.”

Receive content, products, events as well as relevant industry updates from The Analytical Scientist and its sponsors.
Stay up to date with our other newsletters and sponsors information, tailored specifically to the fields you are interested in

When you click “Subscribe” we will email you a link, which you must click to verify the email address above and activate your subscription. If you do not receive this email, please contact us at [email protected].
If you wish to unsubscribe, you can update your preferences at any point.

  1. Po-Hsun Huang et al., “A Reliable and Programmable Acoustofluidic Pump Powered by Oscillating Sharp-Edge Structures”, Lab-on-a Chip, DOI: 10.1039/C4LC00806E (2014).
About the Author
"Making great scientific magazines isn’t just about delivering knowledge and high quality content; it’s also about packaging these in the right words to ensure that someone is truly inspired by a topic. My passion is ensuring that our authors’ exper
Stephanie Vine

"Making great scientific magazines isn’t just about delivering knowledge and high quality content; it’s also about packaging these in the right words to ensure that someone is truly inspired by a topic. My passion is ensuring that our authors’ expertise is presented as a seamless and enjoyable reading experience, whether in print, in digital or on social media. I’ve spent seven years writing and editing features for scientific and manufacturing publications, and in making this content engaging and accessible without sacrificing its scientific integrity. There is nothing better than a magazine with great content that feels great to read."

Register to The Analytical Scientist

Register to access our FREE online portfolio, request the magazine in print and manage your preferences.

You will benefit from:
  • Unlimited access to ALL articles
  • News, interviews & opinions from leading industry experts
  • Receive print (and PDF) copies of The Analytical Scientist magazine

Register