Ferrofluidic Pumps: A Valuable Implementation Without Moving Parts

The use of magnetic fluids in transducers is of great interest due to the possibility of implementing highly reliable and reconfigurable sensors and actuators. Examples of ferrofluidic transducers are available in several contexts from the detection of inertial quantities to assorted bioapplications. This paper addresses a novel architecture implementing a ferrofluidic pump intended for several purposes, including fluid control in bioapplications. The proposed architecture can be used to realize discrete and integrated pumps. The strategies that led to the implementation of the device are highlighted, along with theoretical considerations. The real prototype developed and the setup adopted for its characterization are also presented, along with experiments aimed at estimating the performance of the device.