LAUSR

A polymer-based magnetohydrodynamic pump capable of actuating saline fluids is presented. The benefit of this pumping concept to operate without any moving parts is combined with simple and cheap fabrication methods and a magnetic composite material, enabling a high level of integration. The operating principle, fabrication methodology, and flow characteristics of the pump are detailed. The pump electrodes are created by laser printing of polyimide, while the permanent magnet is molded from an NdFeB powder–polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite. The cross section area of the pump is 240 mm2. The electrode length is 5 mm. The magnetic characteristics of the NdFeB–PDMS composite indicate high degree of magnetization, which increases the pump efficiency. Using a saline solution similar to seawater, the pump produces 3.4 mm/s flow velocity at a voltage of 7.5 V and a current density of 30 mA/cm2.