Abstract
It is confirmed that the rotation flow of liquid crystals in the cylinder electrode can be obtained by applying three-phase alternating current at first. In the present study, a pump based on the mechanism of the rotation flow of liquid crystals is developed. The pump has spiral flow channel in the cylinder electrode. Pressure-flow rate characteristics of the pump are measured. The pressure decreases nearly linearly with the increase of the flow rate under applying the electric field. The maximum pressure increases when we use a liquid crystal with a high dielectric constant for the constant voltage. We confirm that the results of the non-dimensional analysis of the pressure-flow rate characteristics for all liquid crystals are on the same line. This study contributes to the development of a micro-pump in micro-fabricated systems because it needs few parts.
