Tube-type micropump by using electro-conjugated fluid (ECF)

This paper proposes and presents an electro-conjugate fluid (ECF) micropump whose pumping sources are mounted on the inside of flow channels and are serially located through the flow channels. ECF is a kind of functional and dielectric fluid. A strong and active jet flow of ECF is generated between electrodes surrounded by ECF when high DC voltage is applied to the electrodes. To combine easy fabrication and high performance, we propose a novel ECF-jet generator that consists of a triangular prism electrode and a slit electrode for the tube-type ECF micropump. The maximum output pressure obtained is 64 kPa and the maximum flow rate is 1.12 cm3/s at the applied voltage of 6 kV. The result shows that the proposed ECF-jet generator and whose tube-type ECF micropump can be a good candidate as a driving source for forced liquid cooling systems, new microactuators and so on.

► Tube-type micropump by an electro-conjugate fluid (ECF) aims at high pressure and high flow rate.
► A new ECF-jet generator for the micropump consists of a triangular prism and slit electrodes.
► The triangular prism ECF-jet generator integrates easy fabrication and high performance.
► High aspect ratio of the electrode is important for high performance of the micropump.
► The maximum output pressure obtained is 64 kPa and the maximum flow rate is 1.12 cm3/s.