Pumps operated by solid-state electromechanical smart material actuators - A review

Taxonomy of representative smart material actuator-driven pumps reported in the literature. [Display omitted] •Since 1975, a substantial amount of research has been performed on pumps operated by solid-state electromechanical actuators.•Actuators utilized have been unidirectional shape memory alloy (U-SMA)-, piezoelectric ceramic (PEC)-, dielectric elastomer (DE)-, ferroelectric polymer (FEP)-, ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC)- and conducting polymer (CP)-based.•Pumps developed have been macro- and micro- diaphragm and linear peristaltic.•The most prominent smart material actuator-driven pumps have been designed for applications in the drug delivery and biomedical fields, as well as for microelectromechanical systems. There has been a substantial amount of research on liquid pumps operated by solid-state electroactive smart material actuators since the first such pump was developed in 1975, providing exciting opportunities for numerous fields. Aiming to motivate researchers to further develop this sector, a taxonomy of representative examples of smart material macro- and micro- diaphragm and linear peristaltic pumps was developed, categorizing them according to pump size and/or amount of fluid handled, method with which energy is imparted to the transported fluid and smart material actuator type with which they are driven. An extensive discussion of pumps operated by unidirectional shape memory alloy (U-SMA)-, piezoelectric ceramic (PEC)-, dielectric elastomer (DE)-, ferroelectric polymer (FEP)-, ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC)- and conducting polymer (CP)-based actuators was undertaken, focusing on actuator and pump design advancements. For qualitative and quantitative comparisons, the pumping technologies were also summarized in tables, presenting actuator and pump characteristics that influence pump performances.