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论文类型：期刊论文

发表时间：2011-12-01

发表刊物：MICROFLUIDICS AND NANOFLUIDICS

收录刊物：Scopus、SCIE、EI

卷号：11

期号：6

页面范围：717-724

ISSN号：1613-4982

关键字：Microfluidic; Biomimetic; Micropump; Water potential difference

摘要：In land plants, water vapor diffuses into the air through the stomata. The loss of water vapor creates a water potential difference between the leaf and the soil, which draws the water upward. Quantitatively, the water potential difference is 1-2 MPa which can support a water column of 100-200 m. Here we present the design and operation of a biomimetic micropump. The micropump is mainly composed of a 48-mu m thick metal screen plate with a group of 102-mu m diameter micropores and an agarose gel sheet with nanopores of 100 nm diameter. The micropores in the screen plate imitate the stomata to regulate the flow rate of the micropump. The agarose gel sheet is used to imitate the mesophyll cells around the stomata. The lost of water from the nanopores in the gel sheet can generate a water potential difference (more than 30 kPa) which can drive solution flow in a microfluidic chip. Results have shown that a precise flow rate of 4-8 nl/min can be obtained by using this micropump, and its ultra-high flow rate is 113-126 nl/min. The advantages of this biomimetic micropump include adjustable flow rate, simple structure and low fabrication cost. It can be used as a "plug and play" fluid-driven unit in microfluidic chips without any external power sources or equipments.