Pump-valve dual-functional liquid metal soft actuators
Pump-valve dual-functional liquid metal soft actuators
Soft actuators offer several advantages over traditional rigid machines. Among soft materials, liquid metal (LM) is particularly noteworthy for its electro-responsive surface properties that induce flow or morphological changes, making it ideal for soft machines. Although using LM droplets as micropumps is simple, they face challenges in efficient vertical fluid pumping. Here, we report a pump-valve dual-functional LM soft actuator (PDLMA) that can continuously pump liquid upward. Benefiting from the unique conformability of LM, the PDLMA can provide the function of a check valve, which blocks the backflow of the rising liquid while continuing the pumping effect. At 6 V direct current (DC), the PDLMA lifts the solution more than 80 cm. We demonstrate the device's applications in circuit-on/off switches and pump-mixer systems. Moreover, as a conceptual experiment, we show the PDLMA's ability to achieve contamination-free drug delivery. The PDLMA represents a crucial step toward the development of soft actuators for flexible machines.
drug delivery, liquid metals, MEMS, micro-pumps, modular systems, soft actuators
Ge, Du An
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Wang, Erlong
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Dong, Shuai
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Tong, Shiyuan
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Sui, Mengli
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Ren, Hongtai
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Jin, Hu
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Tang, Shi Yang
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Li, Xiangpeng
73f32905-ad7c-4ce3-93a4-78237b98f4fb
Li, Weihua
e2555036-0e48-425a-afeb-db6ffba5238e
Zhang, Shiwu
da008f91-71fa-42fb-879e-68b91429e1d6
20 December 2023
Ge, Du An
29790261-acbb-43c8-a225-dc1ed03e6f9d
Wang, Erlong
32321047-3d3d-47d7-b2db-94fa55fcb85a
Dong, Shuai
38ceedf4-1515-4fec-910b-4f547e66e56f
Tong, Shiyuan
518fc537-263c-49f1-8366-d3b5c322ac7d
Sui, Mengli
5cd6c354-a2e8-4ae1-ac26-567f72960fd9
Ren, Hongtai
608a31ca-90db-4a32-8c19-9614ef821be2
Jin, Hu
71a612f4-09c0-40a4-80d4-6616f1fc8610
Tang, Shi Yang
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Li, Xiangpeng
73f32905-ad7c-4ce3-93a4-78237b98f4fb
Li, Weihua
e2555036-0e48-425a-afeb-db6ffba5238e
Zhang, Shiwu
da008f91-71fa-42fb-879e-68b91429e1d6
Ge, Du An, Wang, Erlong, Dong, Shuai, Tong, Shiyuan, Sui, Mengli, Ren, Hongtai, Jin, Hu, Tang, Shi Yang, Li, Xiangpeng, Li, Weihua and Zhang, Shiwu
(2023)
Pump-valve dual-functional liquid metal soft actuators.
Cell Reports Physical Science, 4 (12), [101700].
(doi:10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101700).
Abstract
Soft actuators offer several advantages over traditional rigid machines. Among soft materials, liquid metal (LM) is particularly noteworthy for its electro-responsive surface properties that induce flow or morphological changes, making it ideal for soft machines. Although using LM droplets as micropumps is simple, they face challenges in efficient vertical fluid pumping. Here, we report a pump-valve dual-functional LM soft actuator (PDLMA) that can continuously pump liquid upward. Benefiting from the unique conformability of LM, the PDLMA can provide the function of a check valve, which blocks the backflow of the rising liquid while continuing the pumping effect. At 6 V direct current (DC), the PDLMA lifts the solution more than 80 cm. We demonstrate the device's applications in circuit-on/off switches and pump-mixer systems. Moreover, as a conceptual experiment, we show the PDLMA's ability to achieve contamination-free drug delivery. The PDLMA represents a crucial step toward the development of soft actuators for flexible machines.
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 2 November 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 November 2023
Published date: 20 December 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants 51975550 and U21A20119 ) and a grant from Major Science and Technology Projects in Anhui Province (grant 202203a07020016 ). X.L. is supported by a grant from the Natural Science Found for Colleges and Universities of Jiangsu Province (grant 22KJA510006 ) and S.-Y.T. is supported by a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (grant EP/V008382/1 ). H.J. is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province of China (grant 2008085UD02 ).
Keywords:
drug delivery, liquid metals, MEMS, micro-pumps, modular systems, soft actuators
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 486418
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/486418
ISSN: 2666-3864
PURE UUID: 55d1c3ee-2e57-42c5-a06c-514cb2523057
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Date deposited: 22 Jan 2024 17:32
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 02:18
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Contributors
Author:
Du An Ge
Author:
Erlong Wang
Author:
Shuai Dong
Author:
Shiyuan Tong
Author:
Mengli Sui
Author:
Hongtai Ren
Author:
Hu Jin
Author:
Shi Yang Tang
Author:
Xiangpeng Li
Author:
Weihua Li
Author:
Shiwu Zhang
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