Innovative Design and Modeling of a Micropump: A Microfluidics Application

An electro osmotic micro pump is a device capable to be used as a source of hydraulic pressure from the application of small voltages. Due to the absence of mobile parts and because it allows the movement of fluids, the micro pump has became into an essential component of micro-laboratories (labs-in-chip). The labs-in-chip have important applications in medicine in the early detection of diseases like cancer or tuberculosis. The physical laws modeling a micro pump are those of fluid mechanics (Navier-Stokes eqs.), as well as the diffusion equation for current density. The velocity of the fluid and the electric field are related by means of the Helmholtz-Smoluchowski equation, which is used to set certain boundary conditions. This paper presents three innovative designs of a micro pump that effectively produce hydraulic pressure. Furthermore, proven scientific studies are referenced in order to validate the mathematical method and to make a comparison, highlighting the advantages of the proposed designs.