Self-beating gel pump powered by chemical energy

Many examples of microfluidic systems have been studied in various fields. Normally, micropumps in microfluidic systems are powered by electricity or heat generated from electric energy and the actuation is controlled by on-off switching of external inputs. Herein we report a novel autonomous flow control inside microfluidic channels powered by self-oscillating gels without external control devices. Self-oscillating gels exhibit a volume oscillation driven by the oscillatory Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. Our approach greatly simplifies the microfluidic system construction because there is no need for the electric wiring and source. In this paper, we first demonstrate a directional fluid pumping within microfluidic channels and a directional flow rate was 0.02 μL/min utilizing self-oscillating gels. This self-actuated pump could serve as a new framework for microfluidic devices.