Helical particle manipulation based on power-exponent-phase acoustic vortices generated by a sector transducer array

The characteristics of traditional acoustic vortices(AVs) were verified by the cross-sectional axisymmetric pressure distributions with perfect phase spirals around the center pressure null. In order to generate a non-axisymmetric pressure distribution, the concept of power-exponent-phase was first introduced into the formation of AV beams, named “powerexponent-phase acoustic vortices(PAVs)” in this paper. Based on a ring-array of sector transducers, the helical distribution of the low-pressure valley in cross-sections of PAVs, which enables particles to move from a distant position to the center low-potential well along a certain spiral passageway, was proved theoretically. The particle manipulation behavior for PAVs with a power order of 2 is numerically modeled and experimentally confirmed. The results show that PAVs with a nonaxisymmetric spiral pressure distribution can be used to realize the directional transport of particles in an enlarged scope,suggesting prospective application potential in biomedical engineering.

Particle distributions in Lamb wave based acoustofluidics

Acoustic streaming enabled by a Lamb wave resonator(LWR)is efficient for particle trapping and enrichment in microfluidic channels.However,because Lamb waves combine the features of bulk acoustic waves and surface acoustic waves,the resulting acoustic streaming in the LWR occurs in multiple planes,and the particle flow behavior in this acoustofluidic system is largely unknown.Reported here are numerical simulations and laboratory experiments conducted to investigate the boundary conditions for particle motion inside a microvortex induced by an LWR.Upon dynamic capture,the particles’trajectories become orbital paths within an acoustic vortex.The suspended particles encounter two distinct acoustic phenomena,i.e.,the drag force resulting from acoustic streaming and the acoustic radiation force,which exert forces in various directions on the particles.When the acoustic radiation force and the fluid drag force are dominant for large and small particles in a mixed solution,respectively,the large particles reside within the vortex while the small particles remain at its periphery.Conversely,when the acoustic radiation force is dominant for both types of particles,the distribution pattern is reversed.

Manipulations of micro/nanoparticles using gigahertz acoustic streaming tweezers

Contactless acoustic manipulation of micro/nanoscale particles has attracted considerable attention owing to its near independence of the physical and chemical properties of the targets,making it universally applicable to almost all biological systems.Thin-film bulk acoustic wave(BAW)resonators operating at gigahertz(GHz)frequencies have been demonstrated to generate localized high-speed microvortices through acoustic streaming effects.Benefitting from the strong drag forces of the high-speed vortices,BAW-enabled GHz acoustic streaming tweezers(AST)have been applied to the trapping and enrichment of particles ranging in size from micrometers to less than 100 nm.However,the behavior of particles in such 3D microvortex systems is still largely unknown.In this work,the particle behavior(trapping,enrichment,and separation)in GHz AST is studied by theoretical analyses,3D simulations,and microparticle tracking experiments.It is found that the particle motion in the vortices is determined mainly by the balance between the acoustic streaming drag force and the acoustic radiation force.This work can provide basic design principles for AST-based lab-on-a-chip systems for a variety of applications.

Model-based adaptive locomotion and clustering control of microparticles through ultrasonic topological charge modulation

We present a novel motion control technique for microrobot clusters to exploit the characteristics of the ultrasonic field.The method comprises two steps,i.e.,introducing an ultrasonic actuation(UA)linear model for three-dimensional(3D)locomotion and controlling the topological charge(TC)in the ultrasonic vortex for microrobot clustering.Here,the TC is a controllable parameter for the expansion and contraction of the pressure null space inside the vortex.We present a TC control method to cluster sporadically distributed microrobots in a specific workspace.To validate the concept,a UA system composed of 30 ultrasonic transducers with 1 MHz frequency is fabricated,and the characteristics of the generated acoustic pressure field are analyzed through simulations.Subsequently,the performances of the adaptive controller for precise 3D locomotion and the TC control method for clustering are evaluated.Finally,the UA technology,which performs both clustering and locomotion in a complex manner,is validated with a gelatin phantom in an in-vitro environment.

Scheme of negative acoustic radiation force based on a multiple-layered spherical structure

Acoustic radiation force(ARF), as an important particle manipulation method, has been extensively studied in recent years. With the introduction of the concept of “acoustic tweezers”, negative acoustic radiation has become a research hotspot. In this paper, a scheme of realizing negative ARF based on the multiple-layered spherical structure design is proposed. The specific structure and design idea are presented. Detailed theoretical calculation analysis is carried out.Numerical simulations have been performed to verify the correctness of this prediction. The conjecture that the suppression of backscattering can achieve negative ARF is verified concretely, which greatly expands the application prospect and design ideas of the ARF. This work has laid a theoretical foundation for realizing precise control of the structure.