NSF Award
9761280
*** 9761280 Scherer This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to develop a new phenomenon, high pressure electrokinetic (HPEK) pumping, for applications in micro and macro scaled fluid-transport based devices. Preliminary HPEK experiments have demonstrated the ability to generate controlled, extremely high pressures in 100-micron-sized systems. This project proposes to assess the feasibility of scaling up the new phenomenon.. The proposed experiments involve the systematic study of the components, which comprise these devices, in order to set operable limits for a wide range of potential applications. The Phase I effort will identify suitable technologies which can employ HPEK phenomena, including associated materials and operating parameters. The commercial potential for technologies based on the new HPEK phenomena described in this proposal is broad and significant. This research potentially opens the door to an entirely new class of fluid transport-based devices such as pumps, actuators, valves, and compressors. ***
