A disposable piezoelectric micropump with high performance for closed-loop insulin therapy system

This paper presents a novel and disposable piezoelectric micropump with high performance for a new closed-loop insulin therapy system. The micropump was designed using four chambers in a serial connection structure, and was manufactured using the materials with good bio-compatibility. The major advantages of the proposed micropump include: possessing high performance under lower working voltage, low-cost, high resolution of flow rate. A maximum backpressure of 22 kPa was recorded at an applied voltage of 36V(pp) and a driving frequency of 200 Hz, the maximum resolution of outflow can obtain 6.23 x 10(-5) mL per pulse. Through in vivo animal tests, the new closed-loop insulin therapy system has shown a qualification on controlling blood glucose. The proposed micropump also demonstrated necessary characteristics in terms of stability, accuracy and bio-compatibility, for use in precision insulin delivery. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.