Solar thermal devices are formed from a block of wood, where the natural cell lumens of the wood form an interconnected network that transports fluid or material therein. The block of wood can be modified to increase absorption of solar radiation. Combining the solar absorption effects with the natural transport network can be used for various applications. In some embodiments, heating of the modified block of wood by insolation can be used to evaporate a fluid, for example, evaporating water for extraction, distillation, or desalination. In other embodiments, heating of the modified block of wood by insolation can be used to change transport properties of a material to allow it to be transported in the interconnected network, for example, heating crude oil to adsorb the oil within the block of wood.

An apparatus and method, the apparatus comprising: a microfluidic channel (3); an electromechanical gel (5) provided within the microfluidic channel (3); at least one pair of electrodes (7) wherein the at least one pair of electrodes (7) are configured to control the electric field across the microfluidic channel (3) to cause the electromechanical gel (5) to deform in response to a voltage applied to the electrodes (7) such that the deformation enables fluid to be pumped through the microfluidic channel (3).

A microfabricated fluid pump is formed in a multilayer substrate by etching a plurality of shallow and deep wells into the layers, and then joining these wells with voids formed by anisotropic etching. The voids define a flexible membrane over the substrate which deforms when a force is applied. The force may be provided by an embedded layer of piezoelectric material. Embedded strain gauges may allow self-sensing and convenient, precise operational control.

A fluidic device is disclosed, comprising an enclosed passage that is adapted to convey a circulating fluid. The enclosed passage comprises a flow unit having a first electrode and a second electrode offset from the first electrode in a downstream direction of a flow of the circulating fluid. The first electrode is formed as a grid structure and arranged to allow the circulating fluid to flow through the first electrode. The fluidic device may be used for controlling or regulating the flow of the fluid circulating in the enclosed passage, and thereby act as a valve opening, reducing or even closing the passage.

A pump includes a pump flow path and electrodes and dielectric members in the pump flow path to allow a fluid to pass through the electrodes and the dielectric members in a flowing direction. The electrodes and the dielectric members are alternately stacked in the flowing direction so that a dielectric member is located between adjacent electrodes. Among the electrodes, an inter-electrode polarity of each pair of electrodes is different from that of an adjacent pair of electrodes. The dielectric members include a first dielectric member at a position of an odd-numbered dielectric member counted from the most upstream side of the flowing direction and a second dielectric member at a position of an even-numbered dielectric member counted from the most upstream side of the flowing direction. Material of the first and second dielectric members provide signs of a zeta potential opposite to each other.

A thin gas transportation device is provided and includes a shell, a check valve and a gas pump. The shell includes a shell surface, an accommodation slot and an outlet slot. The accommodation slot is recessed from the shell surface and includes an accommodation bottom surface. The outlet slot is recessed from the accommodation bottom surface. The check valve is disposed within the accommodation slot and includes a barrier plate and a valve plate. The barrier plate is disposed on the accommodation bottom surface and covers the outlet slot. The barrier plate includes a first surface, a second surface, a protruding part and a plurality of perforations. The protruding part is protruding from the second surface and located at the outlet slot. The valve plate is coupled to the second surface, and the protruding part abuts against the valve part and seals the valve hole.

A micro pump includes a base plate, a valve membrane, an upper covering plate and a pump core module. The valve membrane is disposed in a valve membrane accommodation slot of the base plate, seals a fluid channel of the base plate and includes a valve aperture where a protruding portion of the base plate extended through. The upper covering plate is accommodated in an upper covering plate accommodation slot of the base plate and includes a fluid relief aperture sealed by the valve membrane, a fluid converging groove and a fluid converging channel between the fluid converging groove and a fluid-outlet channel of the base plate. The pump core module is accommodated within a pump accommodation slot of the base plate. By actuating the pump core module, the fluid passes through the fluid channel, the valve aperture, the fluid converging groove, and is discharged out through the fluid-outlet channel.

Magnetic-based actuation mechanisms for and methods of actuating magnetically-responsive microposts in a reaction (or assay) chamber is disclosed. For example, a microfluidics system is provided that includes a microfluidics device (or cartridge) that includes the reaction (or assay) chamber in which a field of magnetically-responsive surface-attached microposts is installed. The presently disclosed magnetic-based actuation mechanisms are provided in close proximity to the magnetically-responsive microposts wherein the magnetic-based actuation mechanisms are used for actuating the magnetically-responsive microposts. For example, the magnetic-based actuation mechanisms generate an actuation force that is used to induce, for example, synchronized beat patterns and/or metachronal beat patterns in the magnetically-responsive microposts. Additionally, a method of using the presently disclosed magnetic-based actuation mechanisms for actuating the magnetically-responsive microposts is provided.

A method for altering one or more properties of a dielectric fluid for use in an electrohydrodynamic, EHD, thermal management system (100), as well as the system, are provided. The system comprises at least one EHD pump unit (110) comprising at least two electrodes for pumping the dielectric fluid and at least one enclosure (120) for accommodating the fluid within the system. The method comprises exposing the dielectric fluid to an ionizing process (122) configured to ionize the dielectric fluid, and operating the pump unit to circulate the exposed fluid in the enclosure.

A system may include a magnetic shape memory (MSM) element having a long axis that extends from a first end of the MSM element to a second end of the MSM element. The system may further include a first solenoid, where a longitudinal axis of the first solenoid is positioned at a first angle relative to the long axis of the MSM element. The system may also include a second solenoid, where a longitudinal axis of the second solenoid is positioned at a second angle relative to the long axis of the MSM element and at a third angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the first solenoid, where the longitudinal axis of the first solenoid and the longitudinal axis of the second solenoid are not parallel.