One-piece micropumps from liquid crystalline core-shell particles
One-piece micropumps from liquid crystalline core-shell particles
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DOI：
10.1038/ncomms2193
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发表时间：
2012-11-01
影响因子：
16.6
通讯作者：
Zentel, Rudolf
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fleischmann, Eva-Kristina;Liang, Hsin-Ling;Zentel, Rudolf
响应性聚合物成本低、重量轻、柔性好，是一类极具吸引力的材料，可用于微机械和芯片实验室系统。在外界刺激的触发下，液晶弹性体能够进行机械运动，并可用作微执行器。在这里，我们介绍了由液晶核壳弹性体粒子通过微流控双乳液工艺制造的一体式微泵，这种工艺的连续性质使其能够低成本和快速地生产。液晶弹性体外壳包含液芯，液芯通过液晶壳的驱动以水母般的运动可逆地泵入和泵出颗粒。液晶弹性体外壳有可能作为微泵集成到微流体系统中，除了被动通道连接器和启动触发器外，不需要额外的部件。这使得获得具有泵功能的微结构所需的复杂且高成本的微加工技术变得不必要。
Responsive polymers are low-cost, light weight and flexible, and thus an attractive class of materials for the integration into micromechanical and lab-on-chip systems. Triggered by external stimuli, liquid crystalline elastomers are able to perform mechanical motion and can be utilized as microactuators. Here we present the fabrication of one-piece micropumps from liquid crystalline core-shell elastomer particles via a microfluidic double-emulsion process, the continuous nature of which enables a low-cost and rapid production. The liquid crystalline elastomer shell contains a liquid core, which is reversibly pumped into and out of the particle by actuation of the liquid crystalline shell in a jellyfish-like motion. The liquid crystalline elastomer shells have the potential to be integrated into a microfluidic system as micropumps that do not require additional components, except passive channel connectors and a trigger for actuation. This renders elaborate and high-cost micromachining techniques, which are otherwise required for obtaining microstructures with pump function, unnecessary.