Buckling of dielectric elastomeric plates for soft, electrically active microfluidic pumps.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 24905688.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1039/c4sm00753k.
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Abstract
Elastic instabilities, when properly implemented within soft, mechanical structures, can generate advanced functionality. In this work, we use the voltage-induced buckling of thin, flexible plates to pump fluids within a microfluidic channel. The soft electrodes that enable electrical actuation are compatible with fluids, and undergo large, reversible deformations. We quantified the onset of voltage-induced buckling, and measured the flow rate within the microchannel. This embeddable, flexible microfluidic pump will aid in the generation of new stand-alone microfluidic devices that require a tunable flow rate.