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Diffuser miniature pump with an extra ferrofluidic valve

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Abstract

This paper presents the prototype design and fabrication of a magnetically actuated miniature pump that utilizes self-sealing capability of ferrofluid-covered permanent magnets in both pumping and valving mechanisms. The valving action is performed by employing one active valve along with two nozzle/diffuser elements. Two cylindrical permanent magnets are placed inside the flat-wall channels: One magnet acts as the active valve and the other one serves as a reciprocating piston actuating the working fluid. In order to seal the gaps between the channel walls and the permanent magnet of the valve/piston, ferrofluid is used to cover the surfaces of both magnets. The valve and the piston are actuated using external permanent magnets driven by two separate stepper motors. Working with a stroke length of 20 mm at a driving frequency of 0.5 Hz, the pump is able to achieve a maximum flow rate of 1310 µL/min and a maximum 66 mm of water backpressure. The contactless external actuation feature of the design enables integration of the pump with other PMMA-based microfluidic systems with low cost and disposability.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Optics and Laser Laboratory at Sharif University of Technology for help with recording measurements. The first author thanks Dr. Behnam Ebrahimi and Dr. Sajjad Z. Meymand for their valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11365-9567, Tehran, Iran

    Majid Ashouri, Mohammad Behshad Shafii & Ali Moosavi

Authors
  1. Majid Ashouri
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  2. Mohammad Behshad Shafii
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  3. Ali Moosavi
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Correspondence to Mohammad Behshad Shafii.

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Ashouri, M., Shafii, M.B. & Moosavi, A. Diffuser miniature pump with an extra ferrofluidic valve. Microfluid Nanofluid 19, 1235–1244 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-015-1642-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-015-1642-9

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