Membrane Actuation for Micropumps

Membrane actuation for micropumps refers to the reciprocating periodic motion of a thin flexible layer - diaphragm or membrane made of silicon or other materials - bounding one side of a displacement micropump to create volume and pressure oscillations in a fluid (i.e., hquid or gas) stored in the chamber of the micropump that is rectified by other means to accomplish a net fluid flow through the micropump. The mechanical energy necessary for the membrane actuation in micropumps is generally derived from electrical, thermal, optical, or other forms of energy. 

Membrane Actuation for Micropumps, Figure 2 Schematic iiiustration of the principai types of membrane actuations in micropump, (a) Thin film piezoelectric actuation, (b) Stack piezoelectric actuator, (c) Parallel plate electrodes for electrostatic actuation, (d) Thermopneumatic actuation using thermal expansion of a secondary working fluid... 

Fig. 3 Two views of an inkjet-printed P(VDF-TrFE) membrane actuators for micropumps for microfluidic lab-on-the-chip systems. The images illustrate the wide range of possibilities for printed piezoelectric device manufacturing (Reprinted with permission (Pabst et al. 2014))...

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