Development of an electrohydrodynamic ion-drag micropump using three-dimensional carbon micromesh electrodes

An electrohydrodynamic (EHD) ion-drag micropump using three-dimensional carbon micromesh electrodes was developed. The carbon micromesh electrodes were created by the pyrolysis of SU-8 structures. The carbon electrodes and microchannel were formed on a quartz substrate, and the microchannel was sealed by an SU-8 slab structure. The pumping behaviors were evaluated using Fluorinert as a non-conductive sample solution. The maximum pressure and volume flow rate were approximately 23 Pa and 400 nL/min, respectively, under an applied voltage of 500 V.