The Effect of Material Properties on the Efficiency of Valve-Less Rectification Micropumps

High efficiency valve-less rectification micropumps are essential in developing effective microfluidic systems. Many parameters have been reported in the literature to have an effect on the efficiency of valve-less rectification micropumps. These parameters are related to the dynamics of fluid flow (such as Reynolds number), rectifying geometries, or actuators (such as actuator frequency). In this work, we studied the effect of the material properties on the efficiency of valve-less rectification micropumps. Two valve-less rectification micropumps based on the same rectifying geometry, bifurcation, are fabricated using two different materials, Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and SU-8 photoresist. The pumps are tested and results are compared. Experimental results suggest that the material properties have an apparent effect on the pumping performance of valve less rectification micropumps. The results are presented in terms of flow rates and maximum back pressures.Copyright © 2010 by ASME