Microfluidic front dynamic for the characterization of pumps for long-term autonomous microsystems

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that polymeric micropumps can sustain self-powered fluid flow for hours or days, enabling long-term autonomous microfluidic systems without electronic control.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach for long-duration, self-powered microfluidic flow control using polymeric micropumps, extending operational time significantly compared to previous short-term systems.

Findings

Micropumps maintained fluid movement for up to 23 hours.

Flow could be advanced up to 1.8 meters in microchannels.

Pump actuation time linked to degassing and surface properties.

Abstract

To facilitate the use and portability of Lab on a chip technology, it is desirable to avoid the use of bulky electronic systems for flow control. Developed self-powered microsystems typically move only small volumes of fluid performing up to one or two hours. We have previously shown that polymeric micropumps combined with plastic microfluidic cartridges constitute a universal self-powered modular microfluidic architecture suitable for moving large volumes of fluids in short times. Herein, we show that polymeric micropumps can provide self-powered flow control for long periods of time in the range of hours and days. The calibration curves of various types of micropumps were obtained including one that maintained the movement of the fluid for 23 hours, advancing the fluid front up to 1.8 meters through a channel with a section of 0.127 mm2. We found that the actuation time of the pump was related to degassing time, the effective surface area and the air recovery rate of the pump. This is the first example of a long operating self-powered microsystem, which may have a great impact in those cases where controlled flow is needed for a long period of time and the use of electronic equipment is not desirable.