Self-powered AC electrokinetic microfluidic system based on triboelectric nanogenerator

The AC electrokinetic technology, such as AC electroosmosis, induced-charged electroosmosis, dielectrophoresis, etc., can precisely manipulate trace fluids and has been widely used in lab on a chip. However, the power supplies used in AC electrokinetic experiments are mostly function generators or other large-scare instruments, which is an obstacle to portability. Encouragingly, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with the characteristics of portable, green, and simple structure is a potential opportunity for AC electrokinetic microfluidic operation. We have designed a self-powered AC electrokinetic microfluidic system based on vertical contact-separation mode TENG for the first time. The TENG, as a power supply, costs only 2 cents and maintains excellent output performance after millions of working cycles. Through the combination of TENG and microfluidic chip, this system successfully realizes AC electroosmotic flow and induced-charged electroosmotic flow in the microchannel and completes the effective mixing of two fluids at low frequencies (<10 Hz). Furthermore, we have achieved precise control of particle behavior, including focusing, deflection, and separation under manual operation. Therefore, the self-powered AC electrokinetic microfluidic system designed in this work not only expands the application fields of TENG but also provides a new power solution for AC electrokinetic microfluidic operation. This system is expected to get rid of the need for large-scale power supply in traditional methods and has broad application prospects in the fields of portable detection, micro-reaction, and micro-bioanalysis.

Automated summary

A self-powered AC electrokinetic microfluidic system based on TENG was successfully developed in this study, demonstrating the precise manipulation of particle behavior in microchannels. This system expands the application fields of TENG and provides a new power solution for AC electrokinetic microfluidic operation.