A self-sufficient pressure pump using latex balloons for microfluidic applications

Peter Thurgood; Jiu Yang Zhu; Ngan Nguyen; Saeid Nahavandi; Aaron R. Jex; Elena Pirogova; Sara Baratchi; Khashayar Khoshmanesh

doi:10.1039/C8LC00471D

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A self-sufficient pressure pump using latex balloons for microfluidic applications†

Peter Thurgood,

*^a Jiu Yang Zhu,^a Ngan Nguyen,^a Saeid Nahavandi,^b Aaron R. Jex,^cd Elena Pirogova,^a Sara Baratchi^e and Khashayar Khoshmanesh

*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
E-mail: pthurgood@gmail.com, Khashayar.khoshmanesh@rmit.edu.au

^b Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia

^c Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia

^d Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia

^e School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Australia

Abstract

Here, we demonstrate a self-sufficient, inexpensive and disposable pressure pump using commercially available latex balloons. The versatility of the pump is demonstrated against various microfluidic structures, liquid viscosities, and ambient temperatures. The flow rate of the pump can be controlled by varying the size and thickness of the balloon. Importantly, the soft structure of the balloon allows for almost instantaneous change of the flow rate upon manual squeezing of the balloon. This feature has been used for dynamically changing the flow ratio of parallel streams in a T-shaped channel or varying the size of droplets in a droplet generation system. The self-sufficiency, simplicity of fabrication and operation, along with the low-cost of the balloon pump facilitate the widespread application of microfluidic technologies for various research, education, and in situ monitoring purposes.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C8LC00471D
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 07 May 2018
Accepted: 23 Jul 2018
First published: 25 Jul 2018

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Lab Chip, 2018,18, 2730-2740

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A self-sufficient pressure pump using latex balloons for microfluidic applications

P. Thurgood, J. Y. Zhu, N. Nguyen, S. Nahavandi, A. R. Jex, E. Pirogova, S. Baratchi and K. Khoshmanesh, Lab Chip, 2018, 18, 2730 DOI: 10.1039/C8LC00471D

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A self-sufficient pressure pump using latex balloons for microfluidic applications†

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A self-sufficient pressure pump using latex balloons for microfluidic applications

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