Table 1.

Summary of the main types of micropumps and their characteristics.

Micropump Type	Driving Mechanism	Advantages	Disadvantages
electrostatic	electrostatic forces due to membrane bending	-driving mechanism scalability -low power consumption -fast response	-challenging design -small microactuator deflections
piezoelectric	pump chamber deformation due to piezoelectric element motion	-small size -low power consumption -no electromagnetic interference -insensitivity to the fluid viscosity	-
thermo-pneumatic	intermittent compression and expansion of an air compartment due to a cyclic use of a twosome heater and cooler	-	-
bimetallic	intermittent compression and expansion due to repeated heating and cooling of two materials with different thermal expansion coefficients	-high force generation -low operating voltage -design simplicity	-small-diaphragm deflection -unsuitability at high frequencies
shape-memory alloy	phase alteration inside two solid phases	-superelasticity	-
ionic conductive polymeric films	electric field-generated stress gradient of the ionic movement	-	-highly complex fabrication process -low reproducibility during batch manufacturing
electrochemical	reversible electrochemical reactions for gas bubble expansion and electrolysis reduction in the aqueous electrolyte solution	-large driving forces -accurate flow control -low heat generation -LoC technology compliance -low power consumption	-long response time caused by the slow recombination of the gas within the working chamber
electrohydrodynamic	interaction of electrostatic forces with ions within dielectric fluids	-	-
electrowetting	changes of the surface energy of a conductive liquid in contact with a dielectric-coated electrode when an external voltage potential is applied	-flexibility -possibility of discrete liquid volumes manipulation -increased reproducibility, mobility, and reversibility	-electrochemical interactions due to the direct contact between the liquid and the electrode at low voltage input
electro-osmotic	movement of the uncharged liquid relative to the charged microchannel surfaces under the action of an externally applied electric field	-no moving parts -possibility of using fluids with a wide range of conductivities	-not suitable for electrolytic aqueous solutions
magnetohydrodynamic	movement of electrically or weakly electrically conductive liquids by the Ampère’s force	-	-