Microfluidic Solution Isolated Pumping (μsip)

A user-friendly, self-contained microfluidic pump is reported which utilizes the high air permeability of PDMS to actuate fluid flow. By diffusion barrier, the solution is isolated from the pump, which provides an innovative solution to create a bubble-free pumping without auxiliary equipment or pre-treatment. This method allows filling dead-end channels and chambers. We implemented this system with an integrated thumb-pump for the standalone operation of microfluidic circuits. A theoretical model was developed and experimentally validated to identify key design parameters and characterize this techniques reproducibility and tunability, achieving flow velocities ranging from 0.7 to 7 mm/sec.