Abstract
Pneumatically-driven micropump for micro chemical devices were proposed and developed. As a fluidic transport element, we contrived a new pump element that has a cylindrical elastic membrane inside a micro chamber. The flexible membrane was deformed by applying air pressure through a channel for working fluid. The pump elements are fabricated by microstereolithography with an elastic photopolymer. By using the three pump elements, a peristalic micropump was developed. The micropump could transport both water and air with sufficient flow rate for micro chemical devices. Since the pneumatically-driven micropump is simple and low cost, they will be widely used in disposable biochips for medical diagnostics.
