PDMS membrane with integrated open-porous foam featuring a gradient in pore-size for simultaneous filtration and pumping of fluids in microfluidic structures

Description

In this contribution we present a concept for simultaneous filtration and pumping solely realized with a single polymer based membrane. An open-porous foam with a gradient in pore size, which essentially resembles a nozzle-diffuser structure, is integrated into the center of a flexible PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) membrane, which is placed into a small fluid cavity with symmetric inlet and outlet geometry. The actuation of the membrane is achieved with an electromagnetic coil from the outside and a small magnetic ring, which has also been integrated into the membrane. The sinusoidal excitation of the membrane leads to a vibrational movement of the membrane in the fluid cavity, and due to the asymmetry in pore size of the integrated foam a unidirectional fluid flow evolves in the system. Thus, the proposed device can be used for simultaneous pumping and filtration with the additional advantage of reduced sensitivity to fouling.

Period	03 Nov 2014
Event title	IEEE Sensors Conference 2014
Event type	Conference
Location	SpainShow on map