Fabrication and Characterization of Dome-Shaped Actuator Membrane for Peristaltic Valveless Electromagnetic Micropump

Abstract

This paper discusses the method of fabrication and characterization of a peristaltic micropump with a dome-shaped electromagnetic (EM) actuator membrane by pouring Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on top of the glass master mould. The peristaltic micropumps have three membranes separated by a spacer of 2 mm. The structure of the mould consists of three pillar-shaped glasses that have a dome-like structure at the top. The border on the edge of the mould functions as a barrier to prevent the spill of the PDMS. When the PDMS is poured on top of the glass mould, a thin membrane will be formed and it will automatically overflow to form a chamber and spacer. The fabricated membrane structures were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), while the mechanical and electrica properties were analysed by observing the deformation of the membrane. The SEM images show that a hanging PDMS membrane with a thickness of 77.5 µm was established. The permanent magnet connected to the lever and attached to the membrane will interact with the magnetic field generated by the EM coil. The measurement results show that a coil of 275 turns carrying a current of 600 mA produces a magnetic field of 11 mT causing a membrane deflection of 1.5 mm. The resulting dome-shaped membrane will have its potential application for the use as the actuator for the EM peristaltic micropumps.