Screw-actuated displacement micropumps for thermoplastic microfluidics

• Published in: Lab on a chip Vol. 16; no. 20; pp. 3940 - 3946
• Main Authors: Han, J Y, Rahmanian, O D, Kendall, E L, Fleming, N, DeVoe, D L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.01.2016
• ISSN: 1473-0197; 1473-0189
• DOI: 10.1039/c6lc00862c

The fabrication of on-chip displacement pumps integrated into thermoplastic chips is explored as a simple and low cost method for achieving precise and programmable flow control for disposable microfluidic systems. The displacement pumps consist of stainless steel screws inserted into threaded ports machined into a thermoplastic substrate which also serve as on-chip reagent storage reservoirs. Three different methods for pump sealing are investigated to enable high pressure flows without leakage, and software-defined control of multiple pumps is demonstrated in a self-contained platform using a compact and self-contained microcontroller for operation. Using this system, flow rates ranging from 0.5-40 μl min are demonstrated. The pumps are combined with on-chip burst valves to fully seal multiple reagents into fabricated chips while providing on-demand fluid distribution in a downstream microfluidic network, and demonstrated for the generation of size-tunable water-in-oil emulsions.