Yoshitaka Naka

Performance of a Micro Pump Driven by Conducting Polymer Soft Actuator Based on Polypyrrole

Micro pumps are essential components of micro-fluidic systems and bio-sensing systems. In particular, the micro pump used for -TAS transports fluids at a micro flow rate with high precision. This micro pump is also used to transport high-viscosity fluids because there are various types of drugs to be transported. We developed a micro pump driven by a conducting polymer soft actuator that opens and closes. Although the developed micro pump contains no valve, the micro pump can transport fluids in one direction without backflow. A newly developed micro pump driven by a conducting polymer soft actuator can transport fluids in one direction without backflow by the opening and closing of two soft actuators.

Bimorph Type Soft Actuator Based on Conducting Polymer and Its Application to Micro Pump

Various shapes of conducting polymer soft actuators attract the attention in recent years. We have proposed a soft actuator that performs open-close movement and micro pump using soft actuator as a driving source. We have developed a soft actuator that perform open-close movement by arranging a soft actuator in which bimorph structures with anion-driven layers and cation-driven layers are connected and cation-driven layers arranged in face-to-face relation. Moreover, the soft actuator performs optimum open-close movement when the ratio of single layer structures and bimorph structures is 1:2. A planner soft actuator performs open-close movement when slits are set on a wide planner soft actuator. The authors have built up a micro-pump with a planner conducting polymer soft actuator that performs open-close movement as a driving source. Its oscillation volume can be adjusted in the range of 2.2–31 [μ1/min].Copyright

A Micro Pump Driven by Conducting Polymer Soft Actuator Based on Polypyrrole

Micro pumps with various driving systems have been developed and they have been carried out with experimental and numerical approaches so far. The authors propose a micro pump with soft actuators by conducting polymers as a driving source. The purpose of the present study is to develop the micro pump driven by conducting polymer soft actuator based on polypyrrole and to clarify the basic characteristics of the micro pump. Especially, we measure the flow rates, delivery heads and energy consumption of the micro pump driven by conducting polymer soft actuators and compare these results with those of the conventional micro pumps. The micro pump driven by a conducting polymer soft actuator can transport fluids in one direction without backflow by two soft actuators with opening and closing movement. Furthermore, wider ranges of flow rates are obtained with this micro pump and greater maximum delivery heads are obtained by them Moreover, the influence of the viscosity of the transport fluid was small and the micro pump driven by the conducting polymer soft actuator can transport fluid even with the viscosity that is 400 times as great as that of water in addition. The energy consumption rates of our micro pump are dramatically lower than those of the conventional micro pumps. This is because a conducting polymer soft actuator drives with a low voltage and a micro pump with low energy consumption is realized here.Copyright

Characteristics of Micro Pump Driven by Conducting Polymer Soft Actuator

The development of micro pumps are actively conducted in recent years. A micro pump used for μ-TAS transports at a micro flow rate with a high precision. Moreover, it is also needed to transport high-viscosity fluid since there are various types of drugs to be transported. Micro pumps with various driving systems have been developed so far. In this study, the authors propose a micro pump with soft actuators by conducting polymers as a driving source. We have realized the conducting polymer soft actuator with opening and closing movement. The opening and closing movement of the soft actuator in which the cation driving layer is arranged inside becomes large since the anion driving layer arranged outside drives predominantly. The opening and closing movement is realized by the characteristic that three dimensional deformations are suppressed by setting slits in a sheet-shaped soft actuator and straight-shaped soft actuators in the slits synchronize and deform. It is possible to build a micro pump that transports fluid in one direction by a micro pump with two soft actuators with opening and closing movement and that it can transport fluid even with the viscosity that is 140 times as large as that of water in addition. The micro pump with two soft actuators with opening and closing movement proposed in this paper transports fluid with an energy consumption rate less than half those of others.Copyright