Böhm S, Olthuis W, Bergveld P
MESA Research Institute, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands.
Biomed Microdevices. 1999;1(2):121-30. doi: 10.1023/A:1009996407848.
In this paper a micromachined electrochemically driven pump capable of dosing precise nanoliter amounts of liquid is presented. The pump consists of a micromachined channel structure realized in silicon by reactive ion etching. On top of this structure a Pyrex((R)) cover piece with noble metal electrodes was bonded. The fluid to be dispensed is stored in a meander shaped reservoir which is part of the channel structure. This meander starts in an electrolyte solution containing reservoir, on top of which two noble metal electrodes are positioned. By the electrochemical production of gas bubbles by electrolysis of water at these electrodes, liquid can be driven out of the meander. The measured volume displacements were in close agreement with theory. Pump rates as low as a few nl/s could accurately be controlled via the actuation current through the electrodes. By applying current pulses rather than a continuous current, preset amounts of fluid in the nanoliter range could be dosed successfully. Because the resulting device consists of simple channel structures and metal electrodes it can easily be integrated in miniaturized chemical analysis systems to dose reagents or calibration solutions.
本文介绍了一种能够精确计量纳升液体量的微机电化学驱动泵。该泵由通过反应离子蚀刻在硅中实现的微机电通道结构组成。在该结构顶部键合了带有贵金属电极的派热克斯（Pyrex）盖片。待分配的流体存储在作为通道结构一部分的蜿蜒形储液器中。该蜿蜒通道始于一个含电解质溶液的储液器，其顶部设有两个贵金属电极。通过在这些电极上对水进行电解以电化学生产气 泡，液体可被驱出蜿蜒通道。测量的体积位移与理论值密切吻合。通过电极上的驱动电流，可精确控制低至几纳升/秒的泵速。通过施加电流脉冲而非连续电流，可成功计量纳升范围内的预设流体量。由于所得装置由简单的通道结构和金属电极组成，它可轻松集成到小型化化学分析系统中以计量试剂或校准溶液。
