Title :
A cellular motor driven microfluidic system
Author :
Tung, S. ; Kim, J.-W. ; Malshe, A. ; Lee, C.C. ; Pooran, R.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mech. Eng., Univ. of Arkansas, AR, USA
Abstract :
We are designing and fabricating a microfluidic pump that is controlled and driven by biological cellular motors. This novel pump is realized through the integration of a harmless strain of Escherichia coli cells with a MEMS-based microfluidic channel. In a free-moving state, each E. coli cell ´swims´ by rotating its flagella, driven at the base by a rotary motor. When the cell is attached to a surface through a single shortened flagellar filament, the motor turns the whole cell body at a high rotational speed. Our micro pump utilizes this mechanism to transport liquid in a microfluidic channel through viscous pumping. This paper describes our effort in two critical areas in the pump development process: microfluidic flow simulations and cell tethering experiments in a micro channel.
Keywords :
biological fluid dynamics; cell motility; channel flow; flow simulation; microfluidics; micromotors; microorganisms; micropumps; viscosity; MEMS-based microfluidic channel; biological cellular motors; cell tethering; cellular motor driven microfluidic system; escherichia coli cells; flagellar filament; free-moving state; harmless strain; liquid transport; microfluidic flow simulations; microfluidic pump; micropump; rotary motor; viscous pumping; Capacitive sensors; Computational fluid dynamics; Computational modeling; Drag; Engine cylinders; Microfluidics; Micromotors; Micropumps; Numerical simulation; Pumps;
Conference_Titel :
TRANSDUCERS, Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, 12th International Conference on, 2003
Conference_Location :
Boston, MA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7731-1
DOI :
10.1109/SENSOR.2003.1215564
