A novel electrolysis-bubble-actuated micropump has been successfully developed by utilizing a specific roughness
gradient design on the hydrophobic lateral breather which could achieve a net pumping flow. The micropump is
implemented by means of electrolysis, surface tension effect and the periodic electrolysis-bubble generation. The
advantages of this proposed micropump design not only achieve a net pumping flow but also resolve the disadvantages
that exist in the early proposed electrochemical micropumps, such as the complicated time-sequence power control on
many pairs of electrodes, the need of large/long nozzle-diffuser structure and the limitation of the sealed reservoir inside
the fluidic chip. This micropump with a simple circuit control and without moving parts is suitable for the development
of low power-consumption and compact micropumps. Experimental results successfully demonstrate the pumping
function of our micropump to continuously push liquid forward via the gradient roughness design and the periodic
generation of electrolytic bubbles in a microchannel. Furthermore, experimental results also show that the liquid
displacement and pumping rate could be easily and accurately controlled by adjusting the applied voltage with specific
operating frequency. A maximum pumping rate of 114 nl/min is achieved for our micropump #1 with a microchannel
cross section of 100 µm × 20 µm. In this paper, we describe the theoretical analysis, design, micromachining process, and
operating principles, as well as the experimental demonstration of this micropump.
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