WO2018062897A1 - Power-free self-driving electroosmotic pump - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a power-free self-driving electroosmotic pump. More specifically, the present electroosmotic pump comprises: a fluid passage part through which fluid moves; a membrane disposed at the fluid passage part and made of a porous material so as to allow the movement of the fluid; a reduction electrode disposed at one side of the membrane and comprising a first electrode material; an oxidation electrode disposed at the other side of the membrane and comprising a second electrode material smaller in potential value than the first electrode material; and at least one resistor disposed at a connection circuit between the oxidation electrode and the reduction electrode so as to determine the movement speed of the fluid. The fluid is moved by an electrochemical reaction of the oxidation electrode and the reduction electrode.

Description

Non-powered self-driven electric osmosis pump

The present invention relates to an electroosmotic pump, and more particularly, to an electroosmotic pump operable without supply of external power.

An electroosmotic pump is a pump using a fluid moving by an electroosmotic phenomenon generated when a voltage is applied to electrodes provided at both ends of a capillary tube or a porous membrane (porous membrane). In order to move the fluid, applying a voltage can also increase the flow rate in proportion to the voltage applied to both ends.

Conventionally, a stable platinum has been used as an electrode material. In the case of using a platinum electrode, there is a stability problem due to gas generation such as oxygen or hydrogen due to electrolysis of water when a voltage is applied. In order to solve this problem, silver (Ag), silver oxide (Ag ₂ O), MnO (OH), and polyaniline (polyaniline, PANI), etc. have recently begun to be used as electrode materials capable of driving the electroosmotic pump stably without gas generation. did. In this case, the basic structure of the electrode is a structure in which the above-described material is coated on a porous electrode such as carbon paper or the like by electrodeposition. In this case, the fluid is moved through the redox reaction of the materials coated on the electrode to generate the pumping force of the electroosmotic pump.

FIG. 1A illustrates an electroosmotic pump utilizing a conventional silver (Ag) and silver oxide (Ag ₂ O) electrode, and FIG. 1B illustrates a flow rate change with voltage in the conventional electroosmotic pump of FIG. 1A. Referring to Figure 1b, it can be seen that the conventional electroosmotic pump utilizing the conventional silver (Ag) and silver oxide (Ag ₂ O) electrode as the electrode at both ends increases the flow rate in proportion to the voltage. That is, in the conventional electroosmotic pump, the flow rate is increased in proportion to the applied voltage, and the flow of the fluid does not occur when no voltage is applied. That is, the driving of the electroosmotic pump is possible only when a voltage is applied from the outside.

It is an object to provide a self-driven electroosmotic pump without external power supply. However, the technical problem to be achieved by the present embodiment is not limited to the technical problem as described above, and other technical problems may exist.

As a technical means for achieving the above technical problem, the fluid is provided in the fluid path portion, the fluid path portion to move the fluid, a membrane (membrane) formed of a porous material to allow the movement of the fluid, is provided on one side of the membrane, A cathode comprising a first electrode material, an anode on the other side of the membrane, the anode comprising a second electrode material having a potential value lower than the potential value of the first electrode material, and provided in the connection circuit between the anode and the cathode Thus, there is provided a non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump that includes one or more resistances that determine the speed of fluid movement.

According to the technical solution of the present invention described above, by moving the fluid through a spontaneous electrochemical reaction can be implemented an electroosmotic pump that can be driven without an external power supply, by not requiring a configuration for supplying power It is possible to implement a micro electroosmotic pump.

FIG. 1A illustrates an electroosmotic pump utilizing a conventional silver (Ag) and silver oxide (Ag ₂ O) electrode, and FIG. 1B illustrates a flow rate change with voltage in the conventional electroosmotic pump of FIG. 1A.

Figure 2a shows the configuration of a non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2B illustrates an example in which two resistors are connected in parallel to both electrodes of a non-powered self-driving electric osmosis pump according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a switch is provided at one side of each resistor.

3 is a view showing a non-powered electric osmosis pump manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a view showing the voltage change after connecting the resistance of 10 kV and 50 kV and 100 kV to the electroosmotic pump of FIG.

5 is a view showing a change in the velocity of the fluid after connecting the resistance of 10 kV and 50 kV and 100 kV to the electroosmotic pump of FIG.

Figure 6 shows the experimental results for confirming the persistence of the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 and 8 show the result of moving the fluid by varying the resistance and the cathode in the electroosmotic pump of FIG.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump including a fluid path portion through which a fluid moves; A membrane provided in the fluid path part and formed of a porous material to allow a fluid to move; A reduction electrode provided on one side of the membrane and including a first electrode material; An oxidation electrode provided on the other side of the membrane and including a second electrode material having a potential value lower than that of the first electrode material; And at least one resistor provided in a connection circuit between the anode and the cathode to determine a moving speed of the fluid. At this time, the fluid may be moved by the electrochemical reaction of the anode and the cathode.

In addition, the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump according to the second aspect of the present invention, the fluid path portion for moving the fluid; A membrane provided in the fluid path part and formed of a porous material to allow a fluid to move; A reduction electrode provided on one side of the membrane and including a first electrode material; And an anode disposed on the other side of the membrane, the anode including a second electrode material having a potential value lower than that of the first electrode material. At this time, the fluid may be moved by the electrochemical reaction of the anode and the cathode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

In the present specification, when a part is "connected" to another part, it is not only "directly connected" but also "electrically connected" with another element in between. Include.

Throughout this specification, when a member is located “on” another member, this includes not only when one member is in contact with another member but also when another member exists between the two members.

In the present specification, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, it means that it can further include other components, without excluding other components unless specifically stated otherwise. The terms "about", "substantially", and the like as used throughout the specification of the present invention are used at or near the numerical values when the manufacturing and material tolerances unique to the meanings mentioned are given, and To aid in understanding, accurate or absolute figures are used to prevent unscrupulous infringers from using the disclosures mentioned. As used throughout the specification, the term "step" or "step of" does not mean "step for."

Figure 2a shows the configuration of a non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A, the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a membrane 11, an anode 12, a cathode 13, one or more resistances 14, and And a fluid path portion 16. In addition, the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10 may further include one or more switches 15.

The membrane 11 is provided in the fluid path portion 16 through which the fluid moves, and is formed of a porous material or structure to allow the fluid to move. For example, the membrane 11 may be manufactured using silica, glass, or the like having a particulate matter of about 0.1 μm to about 5 μm, but is not limited thereto. Also, for example, the membrane 11 may be a disk membrane, may be a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), or may have various types of porous materials or structures. In addition, the membrane 11 may allow the movement of ions as well as the fluid.

The cathode 13 is provided on one side of the membrane 11, the anode 12 is provided on the other side of the membrane (11). At this time, the anode 12 and the cathode 13 may be formed of a porous material that allows the movement of the fluid. In exemplary embodiments, the anode 12 and the cathode 13 may be formed of porous carbon. The porous carbon may include, but is not limited to, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, carbon nanoparticles, fullerenes, graphite, and the like. It is not limited to this. That is, the anode 12 may be a cathode formed of porous carbon, and the cathode 13 may be a cathode formed of porous carbon.

In this case, the anode 12 and the cathode 13 may be coated with a material such as a plating (plating). In exemplary embodiments, the anode 12 is coated with a material having a potential lower than that of the electrode material of the cathode 13. First, the material coated on the cathode 13 is, by way of non-limiting example, silver (Ag) / silver oxide (Ag2O), manganese (Mn) / manganese oxide (MnO2) and lead (Pb) / lead oxide (PbO2) It may include at least one of. The material to be plated on the anode 12 may include at least one of zinc (Zn) and zinc oxide (ZnO) having a lower potential than that described above. That is, the anode 12 is formed of an electrode material having a lower potential value (for example, an electrode material in which the standard electrode potential is included in the negative direction) than the cathode 13, so that the anode 12 is formed at both electrodes 12 and 13. Spontaneous electrochemical reactions (ie electrode reactions) can occur, such as in secondary cells. The non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10 moves fluid and / or ions along the fluid path 16 based on this spontaneous electrochemical reaction. On the other hand, since the anode 12 and the cathode 13 are disposed on both sides of the membrane 11, the anode 12 and the cathode 13 can be maintained at a constant interval by the membrane (11).

As such, the anode 12 and the cathode 13 are formed of materials having different potential values, thereby generating spontaneous electrochemical reactions such as primary batteries, and stably moving fluids by forming porous carbon. You can.

The resistor 14 is provided in a connection circuit connected to the anode 12 and the cathode 13, respectively, to determine the moving speed of the fluid. The resistor 14 may be provided for the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10 to move the fluid at a preset flow rate and / or a speed arbitrarily selected by the user. In this case, the size of the resistance 14 applied to both electrodes 12 and 13 may be set at the manufacturing stage based on the resistance value of the membrane 11 and the speed of the target fluid, and the speed of the target fluid is changed. It may vary according to. In addition, the resistor 14 may be allowed or disconnected to both electrodes 12 and 13 according to the state of the switch 15 provided in the connection circuit.

The switch 15 is provided in the connection circuit to allow or block the connection between the resistor 14 and the positive electrodes 12 and 13.

On the other hand, when the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10 includes a plurality of resistors, the plurality of resistors may be connected to both electrodes 12 and 13 in parallel. At this time, one side of each resistor may be provided with a plurality of switches that can connect or cut off the resistance to both electrodes (12, 13). Therefore, the magnitude of the resistance across the electrodes 12 and 13 may vary as the switches corresponding to the respective resistors are turned on and off.

FIG. 2B shows an example in which two resistors 14a and 14b are connected in parallel to both electrodes 12 and 13 and switches 15a and 15b are provided on one side of each of the resistors 14a and 14b. The two switches 15a and 15b are independently turned on and off, so that the resistance across the electrodes 12 and 13 may be a resistance value of the first resistor 14a, a resistance value of the second resistor 14b, or two resistors. It can vary with the sum of the resistance values 14a and 14b.

On the other hand, the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10 according to an embodiment may be formed in the form of a disk (circle) or in the form of a circular ring, it may be formed by combining in the form of one circular tube, but is not limited thereto. It is not. In addition, the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10 of the present invention may be implemented in a very small size by not including a battery for supplying power to both electrodes 12 and 13.

Hereinafter, application examples of the non-powered electric osmotic pump manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

3 is a view showing a non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10a manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, a disk membrane formed of silica was used, in which the disk membrane had a diameter of 8 mm, a thickness of 2 mm and a porous body of 50%. Meanwhile, in FIG. 3, instead of the switch, the voltage and flow rate results of the electrochemical reaction of the anode and the cathode were measured by directly connecting or not connecting a resistor to the electroosmotic pump.

At this time, zinc (Zn) and zinc oxide (ZnO) were plated at 0.96C and 0.22C, respectively, and silver (Ag) and silver oxide (Ag2O) were plated at 1.3C. At this time, the electrochemical reaction (that is, the electrode reaction) of the anode formed of zinc (Zn) and zinc oxide (ZnO) is expressed as in Scheme 1 below, the potential value (E0) is -0.76V.

<Scheme 1>

In addition, the electrochemical reaction of the cathode formed of silver and silver oxide is represented by the following Equation 2, the potential value (E0) is + 0.410V.

<Scheme 2>

Accordingly, the electromotive force of the electroosmotic pump 10a of FIG. 3 is about 1.17 V (ie, a result of (+0.41-(-0.76))). However, due to the overvoltage and resistance of the fluid to the electrochemical reaction, the actual electromotive force may be less than this value.

4 is a view showing the voltage change after connecting the resistance of 10 kV, 50 kV and 100 kV to the electroosmotic pump 10a of FIG. 3, respectively, and FIG. 5 is the electroosmotic pump 10a of FIG. The figure which shows the speed (flow rate) change of the fluid after connecting 10 kV, 50 kV, and 100 kV resistance, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 4, the voltages of the anode and the cathode are close to about 0.4 V at a resistance of 10 kV, close to about 1.0 V at a resistance of 50 kV, and about 1.2 V at a resistance of 100 kV. That is, as the size of the resistor increases, the size of the voltage increases to confirm that the electromotive force of the electroosmotic pump 10a of FIG.

Also, with reference to FIG. 5, the flow rate rapidly decreased from about 8 μL / min to about 2 μL / min at a resistance of 10 μs (shown by a long dotted line) and about 50 μs of resistance (shown by a short dotted line). It was reduced from 4 μL / min to about 2 μL / min, and about 2 μL / min was maintained at a resistance of 100 Hz (shown in line). In other words, as the size of the resistor increases, the voltage increases, but the current decreases and the flow rate decreases. In addition, as the resistance increases, it can be confirmed that the flow rate of a certain size is stable from the beginning.

Figure 6 shows the experimental results for confirming the persistence of the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, a flow rate change of about 11 hours was observed after connecting a resistance of 100 kV to the electroosmotic pump 10a of FIG. 3. Referring to the graph of FIG. 6, it can be seen that a flow rate of about 2 μL / min was kept stable for about 10 hours, and a total of 1.3 mL of fluid was pumped.

7 and 8 show the result of moving the fluid by varying the resistance and the cathode in the electroosmotic pump of FIG.

In FIG. 7, a cathode coated with 0.26C manganese oxide (MnO 2) was used. Accordingly, the electrochemical reaction of the cathode including manganese oxide is represented by the following Equation 3, the potential value (E0) is + 0.610V.

<Scheme 3>

The electromotive force of the electroosmotic pump 10b of FIG. 7 is about 1.38 V (ie, a result of (+0.61-(-0.76))). However, due to the overvoltage and the resistance of the fluid to the electrochemical reaction, the actual electromotive force may be lower than the above value.

On the other hand, a resistance of 10 kV was connected to both electrodes of the electroosmotic pump 10b of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7, it can be seen that the flow rate rapidly decreases from about 7 μL / min to 2 μL / min over time. However, unlike the case where the resistance of 10 kPa is connected to the electroosmotic pump 10a of FIG. 3, it can be seen that the initial flow rate reaches about 7 μL / min, and the total fluid moved about 200 μL for about 1 hour. can confirm.

In FIG. 8, a 1.5 C plated cathode was used for lead oxide (PbO 2). Accordingly, the electrochemical reaction of the cathode including lead oxide is shown as in Scheme 4 below, the potential value (E0) is +1.468 V.

<Scheme 4>

The electromotive force of the electroosmotic pump 10c of FIG. 8 is about 2.23 V (ie, a result of (+1.468-(-0.76))). However, due to the overvoltage and the resistance of the fluid to the electrochemical reaction, the actual electromotive force may be lower than the above value.

On the other hand, both electrodes of the electroosmotic pump 10c of FIG. 8 were connected with a resistance of 200 mA.

Referring to FIG. 8, the flow rate decreases from about 2.5 μL / min to about 0.5 μL / min, but it can be seen that this change in flow rate occurs over about 70 hours. In addition, the electroosmotic pump 10c of FIG. 8 moved a total of 5.5 mL of fluid. That is, through the electroosmotic pump 10c of Figure 8, it can be seen that the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be continuously driven at a stable voltage for a long time.

As such, the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump according to an embodiment of the present invention induces spontaneous electrochemical reaction of both electrodes, and thus can maintain a voltage at both the anode and the cathode, thereby not receiving external power. Can be moved. Furthermore, the non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump according to an embodiment of the present invention may adjust the moving speed of the fluid and the moving amount of the fluid by adjusting the magnitude of the resistance applied to both electrodes.

The foregoing description of the present invention is intended for illustration, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be easily modified in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is shown by the following claims rather than the above description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

Claims (12)

In a non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump, A fluid path portion through which the fluid moves; A membrane provided in the fluid path part and formed of a porous material to allow a fluid to move; A reduction electrode provided on one side of the membrane and including a first electrode material; An oxidation electrode provided on the other side of the membrane and including a second electrode material having a potential value lower than that of the first electrode material; And Included in the connection circuit between the anode and the cathode, one or more resistance (resistance) to determine the moving speed of the fluid, The fluid is A non-powered self-powered electroosmotic pump that is moved by the electrochemical reaction of the anode and the cathode. The method of claim 1, The at least one resistor is The self-powered electroosmotic pump is variable in size based on the resistance value of the membrane and the target flow rate. The method of claim 2, And a one or more switches provided in the connection circuit to allow or cut off the connection between the anode and the cathode and the respective resistors. The method of claim 3, wherein Includes a plurality of resistors, And the plurality of resistors are connected in parallel to the cathode and the anode. The method of claim 4, wherein One side of each of the plurality of resistors is a non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump that is provided with a switch. The method of claim 5, wherein The magnitude of the resistance across the cathode and the anode is The power supply self-powered electroosmotic pump that is variable as the switch corresponding to each of the on (on) and off (off). The method of claim 1, The anode is a positive electrode formed of porous carbon, the second electrode material is coated non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump. According to claim 1, The cathode is a cathode formed of porous carbon, the first electrode material is coated is a self-powered electroosmotic pump. The method of claim 1, And the first electrode material includes at least one of silver oxide (Ag 2 O), manganese oxide (MnO 2), and lead oxide (PbO 2). The method of claim 1, And the second electrode material comprises at least one of zinc (Zn), zinc oxide (ZnO), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), and lead (Pb). In a non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump, A fluid path portion through which the fluid moves; A membrane provided in the fluid path part and formed of a porous material to allow a fluid to move; A reduction electrode provided on one side of the membrane and including a first electrode material; And An anode comprising a second electrode material provided on the other side of the membrane and having a potential value lower than that of the first electrode material, The fluid is A non-powered self-powered electroosmotic pump that is moved by the electrochemical reaction of the anode and the cathode. The method of claim 11, The non-powered self-driven electroosmotic pump And a one or more resistances and one or more switches for determining a moving speed of the fluid, provided in a connection circuit between the anode and the cathode.

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