Continuous dynamic flow micropumps for microfluid manipulation

Abstract

Recent years have seen considerable progress in the development of microfabricated systems for use in the chemical and biological sciences. The term micro total analytical system (μTAS) is now a well-accepted concept. Much development has been driven by a need to perform effective manipulation of chemical and biological liquids with small volumes at micro and/or nano flowrate level in these systems. In this review, the focus will be on the pumping techniques used for delivery and control of liquids, especially those physical-chemical ‘continuous dynamic flow micropumps’. The principles of these pumping techniques are mainly based on one or several well-known phenomena such as electrical, light, magnetic, thermal and other actuated mechanisms. Electrokinetically-driven continuous flow pumps such as the electrophoretic pump and electroosmotic pump, surface chemistry based continuous flow micropumps such as the opto-electrowetting-based pump, optically-driven pump, electrochemical pump and constant gravity-driven pump, and combination-driven techniques such as hydrodynamic flow and electrokinetic/gravity/magnetophoretic pumping will be summarized. The focus will be on the research highlights, trends and future of these pump techniques. Finally, mixing techniques on the microscale are briefly reviewed.