FIGURE OF MERIT STUDY FOR VALVELESS PIEZOELECTRIC MICROPUMP DESIGNED TO HANDLE LIQUID AND GAS FLUID IN MEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS

Micropumps are revolutionizing compact and autonomous monitoring systems due to their portability and efficiency. In this paper, we present a valveless piezoelectric micropump design. This micropump distributes gas and liquid using a PDMS membrane that moves in response to a force applied by a piezoelectric actuator. The proposed design aims to achieve an average flow rate between 10 mu l/min and 100 mu l/min, while emphasizing mobility and low energy. For these specifications, a figure of merit (FOM) is evaluated through a parametric study of piezoelectric membrane to achieve optimized micropump performance for both gas and liquid. The finite element analysis shows the optimum thickness of PZT and PDMS, delivering a significant flow rate of 79 mu l/min for liquid and 50 mu l/min for gas at a lower voltage of 9 V, 60 Hz. These promising results show immense potential of micropump design in diverse applications, from intricate lab-on-a-chip platforms to precise drug delivery systems, and even integration into medical and environmental sensors.