Piezo Components
for Liquid Handling
MICROFLUIDICS FOR IN VITRO DIAGNOSTICS

W W W. P I C E R A M I C . C O M

Your Challenge
Liquid Handling in a Small Space

Shock-Free Pumping of Small Liquid Volumina

Precise Droplet Generation

Piezo components glued to substrates or membranes are
suited for such applications: their bending displacement istransferred to fluid chambers, ensuring a smooth flow of theliquid. Miniaturized piezo components drive light-weightmicro pumps with dimensions of less than one millimeter,
which can be integrated into portable point-of-care devices.

To dispense tiny droplets down to a picoliter volume, theink-jet principle can be implemented using piezoceramic
tubes. PICMA® Stack piezo actuators also offer highly dynamic motion - by placing them in a printing head, micro
assays are produced generating several thousands of droplets per second with high accuracy.

Piezoelectric microfluidic devices are used for distribution tasks whenever small volumes in the millilitre topicoliter range have to be controlled. They enable liquidhandling applications in the field of in vitro diagnostics
and lab automation such as

Valve Functions With Very Low Flow Rates

n Omics, e.g. genome sequencing or PCR

Piezo actuators switch valves directly or work against a closing spring or a flexible tube for volume displacement. Piezoelectric valves can be designed with PICMA® Multilayer
Bending Actuators exhibiting displacement of up to a few
millimeters depending on their design. Due to their extremely low energy consumption, piezo actuators are ideal forbattery-operated point-of-care devices.

n Molecular diagnostics, e.g. ELISA testingn Cytometry and single cell isolationn Point-of-care and lab-on-a-chip systems
n Microarray spotting

2

Active Mixing Tasks

Challenging Separating and Sorting Tasks

Glued on top of a pipe or capillary, piezo components suchas discs or plates generate ultrasonic waves, causing local
density fluctuations and micro turbulences. Active mixing
can also be implemented by the use of cavitation due topower ultrasound or moving piezo actuators.

To ensure precise and fast motion, piezoelectric discs orPICMA® multilayer piezo actuators are needed. They enableinstantaneous displacement of a few micrometers with ahigh frequency to manipulate the flow within microfluidicchannels.

W W W. P I C E R A M I C . C O MOur Solution
Piezos for Lab Automation and Point-of-Care Devices

PIEZOCERAMIC COMPONENTS
n Various geometries (plates, discs, tubes)

as well as freeforms
n Electrodes with thick film silver orthin film Au, CuNi etc.
n Fully customized geometry, dimensions

and electrode design possiblen Miniaturisation down to dimensions ofless than one millimetern Plug-and-play with contacted components

using wires, braids or flexible PCBsn Assembling of components by meansof bonding with substrates or membranes
n Connection technology including matchinglayers, seismic masses and housings,
insulation, potting and encapsulation

PICMA® STACK & PICMA®
BENDER PIEZO ACTUATORSn Low operating voltage
n Microsecondresponsen High force suitable for highly viscous fluids
n Extreme durabilityn Subnanometer resolution
n Benders show high displacementof up to 2 millimetersn	Customized designs including end pieces,

electrical connection and assembling

W W W. P I C E R A M I C . C O M

3Headquarters

ACS Motion Control

PI Subsidiaries

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BRO73E Microfluidics 05/2020.0.15. Subject to change without notice. © Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG 2020

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