Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 110, Issue 46, Pages 18425-18430Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1308109110
Keywords
electrokinetics; microfluidics; MEMS; lab-on-a-chip
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Funding
- National Science Foundation [PFI-BIC 1237699]
- Directorate For Engineering
- Div Of Industrial Innovation & Partnersh [1237699] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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We have developed electroosmotic pumps (EOPs) fabricated from 15-nm-thick porous nanocrystalline silicon (pnc-Si) membranes. Ultrathin pnc-Si membranes enable high electroosmotic flow per unit voltage. We demonstrate that electroosmosis theory compares well with the observed pnc-Si flow rates. We attribute the high flow rates to high electrical fields present across the 15-nm span of the membrane. Surface modifications, such as plasma oxidation or silanization, can influence the electroosmotic flow rates through pnc-Si membranes by alteration of the zeta potential of the material. A prototype EOP that uses pnc-Si membranes and Ag/AgCl electrodes was shown to pump microliter per minute-range flow through a 0.5-mm-diameter capillary tubing with as low as 250 mV of applied voltage. This silicon-based platform enables straightforward integration of low-voltage, on-chip EOPs into portable microfluidic devices with low back pressures.
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