Micropumps and biomedical applications – A review

This paper presents a review of the current state-of-the-art in micropumping technology for biomedical applications. The review focuses particularly on the actuation schemes, flow directing methods and liquid chamber configurations used in the devices proposed over the past five years. A comparative study is presented of the various mechanical and non-mechanical micropumps proposed for biomedical applications. The performance of the various devices is compared in terms of their actuation voltage, power consumption, operating frequency range, flow rate, backpressure, and so forth. The basic operating principles and advantages of each method are introduced, and their limitations described where appropriate. The review provides a useful source of reference for selecting micropumping schemes capable of meeting the specific flow rate requirements of different biomedical applications. In general, the review is expected to be of interest to both seasoned researchers and practitioners in the micropumping and biomedical technology fields and those entering the field for the first time. •Micropumps are one of the most powerful approaches for biomedical applications.•The review focuses on proposals for operating principles and performance of two types of micropump.•A comprehensive review of the main applications of micropumps over the past five years.