Monolithic Membrane Valves and Pumps
William H. Grover and Richard A. Mathies
from: Lab-on-a-Chip Technology (Vol. 1): Fabrication and Microfluidics (Edited by: Keith E. Herold and Avraham Rasooly). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2009)
Abstract
Since their initial description in 2003, monolithic membrane valves and pumps have found uses in lab-on-a-chip devices for a variety of different applications. These valves and pumps offer a variety of advantages over conventional "soft lithography" structures, including improved assay compatibility, resistance to virtually all chemicals, and the ability to control device operation using on-chip valve-based logical circuits. In this chapter we introduce monolithic membrane valves and pumps in Section 1. We then present a detailed description of the materials and methods used to fabricate devices containing monolithic membrane valves and pumps in Sections 2 and 3. Using these methods, researchers have fabricated lab-on-a-chip devices for a great variety of different applications, and we examine several of these applications in detail in Section 4. Finally, prospects for future monolithic membrane valve- and pump-based devices are considered in Section 5 read more ...
