A groundbreaking collaboration between researchers at SiMPore Inc., the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology has led to the development of a highly efficient automated chip-sized pump.
A publication in a recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes in detail how SiMPore’s patented UltraSM® membrane technology can be used to generate high microfluidic flows with very low applied voltages.
SiMPore EOP Chip.
Despite the benefits of electroosmotic pumps (EOPs) compared to traditional mechanical pumps, they have not gained widespread use in microsystems because of the need for bulky, high voltage power sources.
As low voltage pumps, UltraSM® membranes could enable the miniaturization of laboratory processes to a battery-powered device as small as a credit card. For example, a chip-sized substitute for the processes currently used to detect harmful pathogens in blood would revolutionize medical diagnostics.
Chip-sized EOPs could also be used for electronic applications where low power and miniaturization are key to technological advances.
About SiMPore Inc.
SiMPore is a world leader in the commercialization of novel, patented, nanomembrane technologies.
Our focus is the enabling of new discoveries while also reducing the time and cost of everyday development processes in material and life sciences.
SiMPore develops and sells nanomembrane-based products, including filters for separating and concentrating biological molecules and nanoparticles, cell culture substrates for growing cells, and electron microscopy grids for preparing and imaging samples at the nano-scale level.