Self-Powered Glucose-Responsive Micropumps

A self-powered polymeric micropump based on boronate chemistry is described. The pump is triggered by the presence of glucose in ambient conditions and induces convective fluid flows, with pumping velocity proportional to the glucose concentration. The pumping is due to buoyancy convection that originates from reaction associated heat flux, as verified from experiments and finite difference modeling. As predicted, the fluid flow increases with increasing height of the chamber. In addition, pumping velocity is enhanced on replacing glucose with mannitol because of the enhanced exothermicity associated with the reaction of the latter.