A Dual-Parallel Chamber Electromagnetic Micropump Fabricated Using 3D Printing Method from a Novel Magnetic Nanocomposite Material

Abstract

Micropumps have found wide applications in biomedicine, micro-electro-mechanical systems, and microfluidic systems. This study presents a novel nozzle/diffuser micropump with two parallel chambers fabricated using the stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing method from FLGPCL04-Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanocomposite. The proposed valveless micropump is an attractive alternative for drug delivery applications due to its effective controllability, cost-effectiveness, and mass production capability. The dual chamber structure is able to overcome the disadvantages of the single chamber micropumps like providing higher flow rates. In this micropump, a maximum membrane displacement of 65 μm has been achieved using 5 wt% magnetic nanoparticles concentration for a 30-turn microcoil and applied current of 1000 mA. The fluid flow was evaluated through the membrane displacement using numerical simulations in COMSOL Multiphysics 5. Based on the experimental results, a maximum flow rate of 82 nL/s has been achieved under dual-chamber loading while loading one of the chambers leading to a maximum flow rate of 62.5 nL/s.