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US 2003/0196900 A1Published application
Hydrogel-driven micropump
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorsSway Chuang, Morris Liang, Frank Fan, Wae-Honge Chen
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AssigneeNone recorded
InventorsSway Chuang, Morris Liang, Frank Fan, Wae-Honge Chen
Estimating the term…
A hydrogel-driven micropump, comprising: two fluid chambers; a fluid channel, connecting the two fluid chambers; a first substrate plate and a second substrate plate, which are glass wafers produced by micromechanical working, each having accommodating spaces which are placed next to the two fluid chambers and connected by inward extending bridges, with electric terminals leading to the accommodating spaces; a middle substrate, sandwiched between the first and second substrate plates and made by a bulk micromachining process, having separated accommodating spaces close to ends thereof. A separating block is placed between the accommodating spaces. The middle substrate between the first and second substrate plates forms a micropump body. All of the substrates are separated by membranes. The accommodating spaces for electrophoretic fluid are located between the membranes and the first and second substrate plates, respectively, and insulating material. An electrophoretic fluid channel is left between the membranes and the bridges. The fluid channel is placed within the middle substrate between the membranes. The first substrate plate has through holes from outside to the two fluid chambers, allowing fluid to be injected.
A hydrogel-driven micropump, comprising:
A hydrogel-driven micropump, using expansion and contraction of hydrogel for driving a fluid, with volume changes of said hydrogel causing a membrane to deform, thus driving fluid in fluid chambers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Backward citations are indexed for grants only.
Pumps having electric drive: micropumps
Other positive-displacement pumps: pumping by heat expansion of pumped fluid
Having plate-like flexible members, e.g. diaphragms: pumps having fluid drive
Positive-displacement machines for liquids
Term end not estimated
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydrogel-driven micropump, particularly to a hydrogel-driven micropump.
2. Description of Related Art
FIGS. 1a and 1b are schematic illustrations of the hydrogel-driven micropump of the present invention.
FIGS. 2a and 2b are schematic illustrations of the bulk micromachining process for producing the hydrogel-driven micropump of the present invention.
Hydrogel is a polymeric material having a fine net-like structure and being able quickly to absorb a quantity of liquid of dozens of the original mass. Having absorbed water, hydrogel expands, and after having released water, hydrogel shrinks. Therefore, by varying the quantity of absorbed water, the volume of a piece of hydrogel is changeable. Hydrogel is made of polyacrylamide-co-acrylic acid. Absorption of water until saturation and subsequent volume change happen very fast. The fastest rate is absorption of a 70-fold mass of water within one minute, accompanied by a volume increase of 100% per second.
Electrophorese usually needs application of several hundred volts for allowing ions to separate by a sufficient distance between electric terminals. For example, for separating hemo-proteins, a distance of several centimeters to several tens of centimeters is required.
When electrophorese is performed, positive ions are by an applied electric field moved towards a negative terminal, taking along molecules of the solvent at the following velocity: 1 v = ϵξ E 4 πη