Electroosmotic impulsion device for integration in PCB-MEMS

This paper presents the design and fabrication process of a microfluidic pump based on the electroosmotic effect, and demonstrates its working. The device is fabricated using a combination of standard PCB processing and SU-8 photolithography, using Flame Retardant 4 (FR4) as substrate, SU-8 as structural material to construct the microchannels and chambers, and copper to built the lines for the electrical connections. The fabrication materials provide an inexpensive device. The proposed pump is intended to be included in SU-8 microfluidic portable platforms as an impulsion device which provides a continuous flow rate. Preliminary experimental results show an electroosmotic effect at 60 V, providing a flow rate of 1 μL/min.