A disposable capillary micropump has been successfullydemonstrated by a one-mask microfabrication process using frozenwater as the sacrificial layer. The micropump consists of twofluidic chambers (source and drain) and a 6.5mm-long, 5μm-thick,naturally formed microchannel for capillary reaction. Thisprototype capillary micropump requires no electrical power andprovides a maximum flow rate of 2nL/min with an operationvolume of 10nL in 30 minutes. The surface tension reaction forcebetween the liquid sacrificial layer and the surrounding channelmaterials controls the heights of the microfluidic components suchas chambers and channels naturally. Using water as the sacrificiallayer has the advantage of simple and clean processing. As such,this self-primed process and the self-powered micropump may havegreat potentials in bio-medical applications, including disposabledevices.
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