Micropumps, especially those based on electroosmotic flow (EOF), are essential components in microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices, as they contain no moving parts and are relatively easy to integrate in microfluidic circuits during fabrication.
One major drawback in the conventional design of electroosmotic micropumps is the use of a high driving voltage. Therefore, the development of a low-voltage cascade EOF pump is of interest, as they can be powered by batteries and hence be suitable for portable microfluidics devices.
This model shows a cross-section of a low voltage cascade micropump. It models the applied electric field in the fluid and the resulting electroosmotic flow through the pump. A parametric study investigating applied back pressure finds the strength of the pump.