A Solid Electrolyte Valve for Micro/Nano-fluidics

Yang Y., Zhang X., Kozicki M.N., Chae J.
Arizona State University, US

Keywords: MEMS, micro/nano-fluidic valve, silver nano-electrodeposits

This paper describes recent work on a valve to regulate liquid flow in micro/nano-fluidic channels using electrodeposited nanostructures on a solid-state AgGeSe electrolyte. The valve utilizes the extremely rough surface morphology of the electrodeposits to manipulate hydrophobicity. Electrodeposited nanostructures can be grown and retracted on the electrolyte surface by applying voltages between 5 and 15V at room temperature. The deposits are only a few hundred nm tall and yet are sufficient to block fluid flow in ~25m tall/500m wide channels.

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Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 3, Nanotechnology 2009: Biofuels, Renewable Energy, Coatings, Fluidics and Compact Modeling
Published: May 3, 2009
Pages: 525 - 528
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Sensors, MEMS, Electronics
Topic: Micro & Bio Fluidics, Lab-on-Chip
ISBN: 978-1-4398-1784-1