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US 7,708,872 B2Granted
Actuator in a microfluidic system for inducing electroosmotic liquid movement in a micro channel
AssigneeOsmolife AS
InventorsTrond Eidsnes, Olav Ellingsen, Trond Heldal, Natalyia Mishchuk
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Abstract
The present invention describes an actuator in a microfluidic system for inducing an electroosmotic liquid movement in a microchannel.
Claims49
A microfluidic system comprising:
- a microchannel;
- a pump;
- and
- electrical connection means for application of an electric field across a segment of said microchannel,
- wherein said segment comprises conducting means,
- wherein the conducting means comprises a perm selective ion conducting material, and
- wherein a surface portion of said conducting means is curved, or inclined, with respect to the electrical field, whereby, in use, the electric field has a component tangential to the surface portion and a component normal to the surface portion, such that fluid flow is induced in said microchannel segment under the action of secondary electroosmosis.
4 more elements
A method for pumping fluid in a microchannel comprising:
- the step of applying an electric field to a segment of the microchannel, the segment comprising:
- conducting means, the conducting means comprising a perm selective ion conducting material and having a surface portion which is curved or inclined with respect to the electric field, whereby the electric field has a component tangential to the surface portion and a component normal to the surface portion, to cause fluid in said microchannel segment to flow as a result of secondary electroosmosis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.