An electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) pump is a microfluidic pump that uses electrowetting to manipulate liquid droplets in a channel, offering an alternative approach to traditional mechanical pumps. EWOD-based pumps have significant potential for various microfluidic applications. For instance, by integrating microfluidic pumps with a radio frequency (RF) device, it is possible to create a microfluidic reconfigurable RF device. However, the current microfluidic-based devices have been primarily designed based on mechanical micropumps which require expensive clean-room fabrication methods. Here, we present an analytical model for an EWOD semi-continuous pump that can offer a promising alternative actuation for microfluidic actuation. However, a literature survey of recent advances in EWOD pumping has highlighted a gap in the modeling of the relationship between the fluid mechanics and the actuation dynamics. This paper presents an analytical model of an EWOD pump that determines the flow rate and pressure generated by taking into account the competing electrowetting force, friction force, and fluid inertia force in a one-degree-of-freedom channel. The analytical model is valuable for designing and optimizing EWOD-based pumps, as it provides insights into the dominant physical processes and could enable better control. The model is validated with an EWOD experiment and the data demonstrates less than a 6 % error between the measured and predicted maximum droplet velocity and a maximum 7.4 % error in the EWOD pump static pressure.

中文翻译：

---

一种应用于微流控可重构器件的低成本介电半连续泵电润湿

介电电润湿 (EWOD) 泵是一种微流体泵，它利用电润湿来操纵通道中的液滴，为传统机械泵提供了一种替代方法。基于 EWOD 的泵在各种微流体应用中具有巨大的潜力。例如，通过将微流体泵与射频（RF）设备集成，可以创建微流体可重构射频设备。然而，当前基于微流体的设备主要是基于机械微泵设计的，这需要昂贵的洁净室制造方法。在这里，我们提出了 EWOD 半连续泵的分析模型，该模型可以为微流体驱动提供有前景的替代驱动。然而，对 EWOD 泵送最新进展的文献调查强调了流体力学和驱动动力学之间关系建模方面的差距。本文提出了一种 EWOD 泵的分析模型，该模型通过考虑单自由度通道中的竞争电润湿力、摩擦力和流体惯性力来确定产生的流量和压力。该分析模型对于设计和优化基于 EWOD 的泵非常有价值，因为它可以深入了解主要的物理过程，并可以实现更好的控制。该模型通过 EWOD 实验进行验证，数据表明测量和预测的最大液滴速度之间的误差小于 6%，EWOD 泵静压的最大误差为 7.4%。