This paper presents the design and analysis of an IPMC (Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite) driven micropump. It should be noted that IPMC is a promising material candidate for micropump applications since it can be operated with low input voltages and can produce large stroke volumes along with controllable flow rates. Moreover, the micropump manufacturing process with IPMC is convenient. It is anticipated that the manufacturing cost of the IPMC micropump is competitive when compared to other competing technologies. In order to design an effective IPMC diaphragm that functions as an actuating motor for a micropump, a finite element analysis was utilized to optimize the shape of IPMC diaphragm and estimate stroke volume through several parametric studies. In addition, effect of the pump chamber's pressure on the stroke volume was numerically investigated. Appropriate inlet and outlet nozzle/diffusers for the micropump were also chosen. Based on the selected geometry of nozzle/diffusers and the estimated stroke volume, flow rate of the IPMC micropump was predicted.

Date Published: 6 May 2005
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 5759, Smart Structures and Materials 2005: Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD), (6 May 2005); doi: 10.1117/12.594392

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5759:
Smart Structures and Materials 2005: Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD)
Yoseph Bar-Cohen, Editor(s)