Voltage-Induced Buckling of Dielectric Films using Fluid Electrodes

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel voltage-controlled microactuator using fluid electrodes that buckles to modulate microfluidic flow at high speeds, enabling precise flow control in lab-on-a-chip devices.

Contribution

It introduces a new dielectric film buckling mechanism controlled by fluid electrodes for rapid microfluidic flow regulation.

Findings

Buckling voltage estimated and characterized.

Flow modulation depends on frequency, flow rate, and pressure.

High-speed flow attenuation achieved through voltage-induced buckling.

Abstract

Accurate and integrable control of different flows within microfluidic channels is crucial to further development of lab-on-a-chip and fully integrated adaptable structures. Here we introduce a flexible microactuator that buckles at a high deformation rate and alters the downstream fluid flow. The microactuator consists of a confined, thin, dielectric film that buckles into the microfluidic channel when exposed to voltage supplied through conductive fluid electrodes. We estimate the critical buckling voltage, and characterize the buckled shape of the actuator. Finally, we investigate the effects of frequency, flow rate, and the pressure differences on the behavior of the buckling structure and the resulting fluid flow. These results demonstrate that the voltage--induced buckling of embedded microstructures using fluid electrodes provides a means for high speed attenuation of microfluidic flow.