Development of a Bio-Inspired Microfluidic Valve

While microfluidic devices have provided numerous breakthroughs in analysis of biological and other samples and are useful in wearable biosensors, continuous passive pumping in micro fluidic devices remains a difficult challenge. This work documents the development of a 20:1 scaled prototype biomimetic micro fluidic device patterned after physiological valves such as those found in lymphatic vessels and some deep veins, which harness fluid pressure oscillations caused by movement of surrounding tissue to provide for distributed passive pumping. Basic functionality of the valve is demonstrated, including opening and closing with pressure gradient oscillations to allow for forward flow and prevent backward flow, giving a net forward pumping effect. Preliminary experimental results are compared to previous numerical findings. The scaled prototype device demonstrates that such a device can in fact be created and can harness fluid pressure fluctuations to provide pumping. This device provides a groundwork for further miniaturization to provide distributed passive pumping in microfluidic devices such as wearable biosensors. Further, the scaled device can be used to provide physiologically-relevant conditions for in-vitro study of cell behavior.