Dolomite has launched the Mitos P-Pump, which provides a pulse-less liquid flow using a precise pressure-driven pumping mechanism for microfluidic and droplet formation applications.
With good response time and accuracy, the pressure-driven flow is ideal for microfluidic systems where a highly stable flow is required.
This includes applications such as compartmentalised chemistry and alginate polymerisation, which necessitate the stable formation of oil-in-water or water-in-oil droplets; however, their monodispersity (size consistency) is key to obtaining accurate and repeatable results.
Dolomite has therefore carried out a number of tests to compare the size consistency of droplets formed by the Mitos P-Pump with market-leading syringe pumps.
Droplets of water-in-oil were generated on a 100um-sized X-Junction, using each of the pump technologies.
The droplet diameter from a continuous stream was measured using image analysis software.
The resulting data demonstrated that the Mitos P-Pump provides a co-efficient of variation in the droplet diameter of less than 0.6 per cent, compared with 5.5 per cent for the leading syringe pump.
Its precise pressure-driven pumping mechanism delivers liquid with a smooth and even flow, whereas even the best motor drives and mechanics of a syringe pump have slight non-linearities, which cause unwanted pulsation.
