Development of micro pump with micro fins

Micro diffuser/nozzle pump are widely used in μTAS. As the diffuser/nozzles are the key parts for micro diffuser/nozzle pumps, this paper reports a novel method for improving the flow efficiency by adding micro/nano fins on its sidewall. The fins are arranged on the sidewall in the diffuser direction. It has been testified that the big fins (20μm) can improve the flow efficiency by 10 percent both for liquid and gas, and the dynamic performances for the corresponding micro pump with and without fins are also measured and compared. The pump is actuated by piezo-disc. The dynamic measurement results indicate that the pump performance can be improved by 135% at the voltage of 100V and frequency of 3KHz. The pump begins to work at very low voltage of 20V and the volume flow rate is 36μL/min.