Abstract
Micropumps have an important influence on the field of microfluidics, with particular interest in pumps based on liquid metal that operate without mechanical moving parts. While previous research has primarily focused on pumping alkaline media, this article aims to advance the field by demonstrating a liquid metal pump suitable for acidic environments. A key strategy involves reducing the interfacial tension between the liquid metal and the surrounding solution through the addition of surface-active anions (I-). Theoretical analysis first evaluates the effectiveness of this approach. These experimental results confirm that increasing KI concentrations leads to a decrease in interfacial tension, enabling the deformation and actuation of liquid metal droplets at lower voltages compared to acidic media alone. Subsequently, an acidic media pump is constructed, and various parameters influencing its performance are examined, including acidity, iodide anion concentration, voltage, frequency, and droplet volume. This research offers strategies for developing liquid metal pumps with high flow rates and low energy consumption, thereby expanding the application potential of liquid metal in microfluidics.