Design, fabrication and experimental research for an electrohydrodynamic micropump

This paper presented a novel electrohydrodynamic (EHD) micropump based on MEMS technology. The working mechanisms and classification of EHD micropump were introduced. The fabrication process of EHD micropump was presented with the material selection, optimal design of microelectrode and assembly process. Static pressure experiments and flow experiments were carried out using different fluid and the channel depth. The results indicated that the micropump could achieve a maximum static pressure head of 268 Pa at an applied voltage of 90 V. The maximum flow rate of the micropump-driven fluid could reach 106 mu L/min. This paper analyzed the future of combining micropump with heat pipe to deal with heat dissipation of high power electronic chips. The maximum heat dissipation capacity of 87 W/cm(2) can be realized by vaporizing the micropump-driven liquid on vaporizing section of the heat pipe.