Low-voltage electroosmotic pumps fabricated from track-etched polymer membranes

Abstract

Track-etched polymer membranes are used to realize low-voltage electroosmotic (EO) pumps. The nanopores in polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membranes were fabricated by the track-etching technique, the pore diameter was controlled in the range of 100 to 250 nm by adjusting the etching time. The results show that these EO pumps can provide high flow rates at low applied voltages (2–5 V). The maximum normalized flow rate is as high as 0.12 ml min⁻¹ V⁻¹ cm⁻², which is comparable to the best values of previously demonstrated EO pumps. We attribute this high performance to the unique properties of the track-etched nanopores in the membranes.