Low-power, self-contained, reciprocating micropump through electrolysis and catalyst-driven recombination toward drug delivery applications

Implantable pumps have allowed for substantial improvements in health and are a developing discipline in biomedical engineering, with applications in drug delivery, fluid removal, and research [1-4]. Towards this end, we here propose a novel electrolytic micropump utilizing a platinum based catalyst for cyclic operation. This pump design offers advantages in terms of low power consumption, high reliability, precise flow rates, and simple addition of external micro-controllers. Our system leverages electrolysis of water followed by catalyst-driven recombination of electrolytic gases to achieve a reciprocating motion of a membrane that leads to cyclic dispensing of drug fluids, with a performance rate of approximately 0.3μL/min per mA.