Pneumatically Pumping Fluids Radially Inward On Centrifugal Microfluidic Platforms in Motion

This paper describes a pumping technique applicable to centrifugal microfluidic platforms, involving the use of a regulated stream of compressed gas to pump liquid radially inward and toward the center of the platform while spinning. This technique provides a noncontact method for pumping fluids and is highly efficient, requiring only approximately 60 s to reach completion. This pumping operation can be attained with an applied gas flow rate of 58.8 L min(-1) while the platform is rotated at frequencies less than 180 rpm (3.0 Hz).