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The Hidden History of Micropumps: Just How Miraculous Was Their Debut in the 1970s?
A micropump is a device that can control and manipulate small volumes of fluid. Although any small pump is often referred to as a micropump, a more accurate definition restricts this term to pumps with functional dimensions in the micrometer range. These pumps are of particular importance in microfluidics research and have begun to enter the market for integration into industrial products in recent years. Their small overall size, potential cost, and improved dosing accuracy compared to existing small pumps have contributed to the continued interest in these innovative pumps.
It has been more than four decades since micropumps were first introduced, yet the technological advances behind them are little known.
Introduction and History
True micropumps were first reported in the mid-1970s, but did not gain much attention until the 1980s, when Jan Smits and Harald Van Lintel developed the MEMS micropump. Most of the basic MEMS micropumping work was performed in the 1990s. Recent research has focused on designing non-mechanical micropumps that can be used in remote areas because they do not rely on external power sources.
Types and Technologies
In the world of microfluidics, the laws of physics behave differently. For example, volume forces, such as weight or inertia, tend to become negligible, while surface forces can dominate the behavior of the fluid, especially when the liquid contains gas bubbles. Micropumps usually rely on microactuation principles, which are reasonably scalable within a certain size range. Micro pumps can be divided into mechanical and non-mechanical devices.
Mechanical micro pump
Diaphragm Micro Pump
Diaphragm micropumps use the repetitive action of a diaphragm to move fluid. The diaphragm is located above a main pump valve, which is surrounded by inlet and outlet microvalves. When the diaphragm deflects upward, fluid is drawn into the inlet valve. The diaphragm is then depressed, discharging fluid out of the outlet valve. This process is repeated to provide a continuous supply of fluid.
Piezoelectric micro pump
Piezoelectric micro pumps are one of the most common displacement diaphragm pumps. These pumps exploit the mechanoelectric properties of piezoelectric ceramics to deform in response to an applied voltage. Compared with other driving principles, piezoelectric actuation allows high stroke volume, high driving force and fast mechanical response, but requires relatively high driving voltage and complex installation process.
Non-mechanical micro pumps
Valveless Micro Pump
A static valve is a valve with fixed geometry and without any moving parts. These valves provide flow rectification through additional energy or induce desired flow characteristics through fluid inertia. This type of micro pump is called a valveless micro pump.
Applications
The micropumps have potential applications in industry, such as delivering small amounts of glue during manufacturing processes, and in biomedicine, including portable or implantable drug-delivery devices. Due to their special characteristics, micro pumps can also play an important role in environmental monitoring, analysis systems and many other applications.
The unique design of micro pumps enables them to occupy a key position in modern scientific and technological applications.
With the continuous advancement of technology, the demand for micro pumps continues to grow in all walks of life. How will these micro devices affect our lives and the way industries operate in the future?
