Department of Micro/Nano Electronics, School of Electronic Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P. R. China.
Lab Chip. 2018 Jul 24;18(15):2167-2177. doi: 10.1039/c8lc00236c.
Autonomous and self-powered micropumps are in critical demand for versatile cell- and tissue-based applications as well as for low-cost point-of-care testing (POCT) in microfluidics fields. The hydrostatic pressure-driven passive micropumps are simple and widely used, but they cannot maintain steady and continuous flow for long periods of time. Here, we propose a hydrostatic pressure-driven passive micropump enhanced with siphon-based autofill function, which can realize the autonomous and continuous perfusion with well-controlled steady flow over an extended time without electric power consumption. The characterization results reveal that both the cycle number in one refilling loop and the siphon diameter will affect the refilling time. Furthermore, this micropump also enables multiplexed medium delivery under either the same or different flow conditions with high flexibility. The system was validated using an in vitro vasculogenesis model over the course of several days. Most importantly, the device can consistently provide steady medium perfusion for up to 5 days at a predefined hydrostatic pressure drop without the need for supplemental medium changes. We believe that this hydrostatic pressure-driven passive micropump will become a critical module for a broad range of sophisticated microfluidic operations and applications.
作为微流控领域中用于多功能细胞和组织应用以及低成本即时检测（POCT）的关键需求，自主式和自供能的微泵对静水压力驱动的被动微泵提出了更高的要求。虽然这种被动微泵结构简单且应用广泛，但它无法长时间维持稳定且连续的流量。在这里，我们提出了一种基于虹吸管的自动填充功能增强的静水压力驱动的被动微泵，它可以在无需电力消耗的情况下，实现自主、连续的灌注，并具有良好控制的稳定流量，延长工作时间。特征描述结果表明，在一个补液循环中，补液循环的次数和虹吸管的直径都会影响补液时间。此外，该微泵还可以在相同或不同的流动条件下灵活地实现多种介质的输送。该系统通过体外血管生成模型在几天的时间内进行了验证。最重要的是，该设备可以在预设的静压降下连续 5 天稳定地提供介质灌注，而无需补充介质更换。我们相信，这种静水压力驱动的被动微泵将成为广泛的复杂微流控操作和应用的关键模块。
