声操控微粒研究进展*

声操控微粒是利用声波与微粒之间动量和能量交换产生的声辐射力操纵微粒的运动,具有非接触、生物兼容性好、无需对微粒进行化学生物标记、装置简单易集成等优点,在精密制造、精准医疗等领域具有广阔的应用前景,是当前操控领域的研究热点。该文主要综述最近十年声辐射力理论研究、声场调控方法以及微粒操控形式等方面的研究工作,并对声操控的未来发展方向进行了展望。     

Micron-sized particle separation with standing surface acoustic wave—Experimental and numerical approaches

Traditional cell/particle isolation methods are time-consuming and expensive and can lead to morphology disruptions due to high induced shear stress. To address these problems, novel lab-on-a-chip-based purification methods have been employed. Among various methods introduced for the separation and purification of cells and synthetics particles, acoustofluidics has been one of the most effective methods. Unlike traditional separation techniques carried out in clinical laboratories based on chemical properties, the acoustofluidic process relies on the physical properties of the sample. Using acoustofluidics, manipulating cells and particles can be achieved in a label-free, contact-free, and highly biocompatible manner. To optimize the functionality of the platform, the numerical study should be taken into account before conducting experimental tests to save time and reduce fabrication expenses. Most current numerical studies have only considered one-dimensional harmonic standing waves to simulate the acoustic pressure distribution. However, one-dimensional simulations cannot calculate the actual acoustic pressure distribution inside the microchannel due to its limitation in considering longitudinal waves. To address this limitation, a two-dimensional numerical simulation was conducted in this study. Our numerical simulation investigates the effects of the platform geometrical and operational conditions on the separation efficiency. Next, the optimal values are tested in an experimental setting to validate these optimal parameters and conditions. This work provides a guideline for future acoustofluidic chip designs with a high degree of reproducibility and efficiency.     

Rotational manipulation of massive particles in a 2D acoustofluidic chamber constituted by multiple nonlinear vibration sources

Rotational manipulation of massive particles and biological samples is essential for the development of miniaturized lab-on-a-chip platforms in the fields of chemical, medical, and biological applications. In this paper, a device concept of a two-dimensional acoustofluidic chamber actuated by multiple nonlinear vibration sources is proposed. The functional chamber enables the generation of acoustic streaming vortices for potential applications that include strong mixing of multi-phase flows and rotational manipulation of micro-/nano-scale objects without any rotating component. Using numerical simulations, we find that diversified acoustofluidic fields can be generated in the chamber under various actuations, and massive polystyrene beads inside can experience different acoustophoretic motions under the combined effect of an acoustic radiation force and acoustic streaming. Moreover, we investigate and clarify the effects of structural design on modulation of the acoustofluidic fields in the chamber. We believe the presented study could not only provide a promising potential tool for rotational acoustofluidic manipulation, but could also bring this community some useful design insights into the achievement of desired acoustofluidic fields for assorted microfluidic applications.     

Rapid concentration of particle and bioparticle suspension based on surface acoustic wave

A method of rapid particle concentration in a droplet has been developed using surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology. A droplet was partially placed on a surface acoustic wave propagation path, and particles were concentrated at the center of the droplet due to the asymmetry. The device consists of two IDTs and two reflectors. The one IDT is used for generating SAW and the opposite IDT is used for detecting output voltage signal amplitude, and then for calculating acoustic power density of a droplet. To investigate concentration effect of the device, starch suspension and rabbit blood cells were used in this paper. Different acoustic power density was applied ranging from 6.13 mw mm⁻² to 210.9 mw mm⁻². The concentration process occurs within 15 s under appropriate acoustic power density put on the droplet, which is much faster than currently available particle concentration mechanisms, and the method is also efficient, which concentrating the particles into an aggregate about one-fifth the size of the original droplet. Additional, the concentration process is no damage to bioparticles. This concentration method can improve greatly SAW biosensor system sensitivity.