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A pneumatic micropump incorporated with a normally closed valve capable of generating a high pumping rate and a high back pressure

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Abstract

This study reports on a new pneumatic micropump integrated with a normally closed valve that is capable of generating a high pumping rate and a high back pressure. The micropump consists of a sample flow microchannel, three underlying pneumatic air chambers, resilient polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane structures and a normally closed valve. The normally closed valve of the micropump is a PDMS-based floating block structure located inside the sample flow microchannel, which is activated by hydraulic pressure created by the peristaltic motion of the PDMS membranes. The valve is used to effectively increase pumping rates and back pressures since it is utilized to prevent backflow. Experimental results indicate that a pumping rate as high as 900 μL/min at a driving frequency of 90 Hz and at an applied pressure of 20 psi (1.378 × 105 Nt/m2) can be obtained. The back pressure on the micropump can be as high as 85 cm-H2O (8,610.5 Nt/m2) at the same operation conditions. The micropump is fabricated by soft lithography processes and can be easily integrated with other microfluidic devices. To demonstrate its capability to prevent cross contamination during chemical analysis applications, two micropumps and a V-shape channel are integrated to perform a titration of two chemical solutions, specifically sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and benzoic acid (C6H5COOH). Experimental data show that mixing with a pH value ranging from 2.8 to 12.3 can be successfully titrated. The development of this micropump can be a promising approach for further biomedical and chemical analysis applications.

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Abbreviations

CCD:

charge-coupled device

C6H5COOH:

benzoic acid

EMV:

electromagnetic valve

MEMS:

micro-electro-mechanical-system

NaOH:

sodium hydroxide

PDMS:

polydimethylsiloxane

pH:

power of hydrogen ions

SEM:

scanning electron microscope

UV:

ultraviolet

μ-TAS:

micro-total-analysis-system

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided to this study by the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC 96-2120-M-006-008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan

    Yi-Ning Yang, Suz-Kai Hsiung & Gwo-Bin Lee

  2. Medical Electronics and Device Technology Center, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, 310, Taiwan

    Gwo-Bin Lee

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  1. Yi-Ning Yang
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  2. Suz-Kai Hsiung
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  3. Gwo-Bin Lee
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Correspondence to Gwo-Bin Lee.

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Yang, YN., Hsiung, SK. & Lee, GB. A pneumatic micropump incorporated with a normally closed valve capable of generating a high pumping rate and a high back pressure. Microfluid Nanofluid 6, 823–833 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-008-0356-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-008-0356-7

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