Automatic contactless injection, transportation, merging, and ejection of droplets with a multifocal point acoustic levitator

Autor(es)

Andrade, Marco A. B. ^[1] ; Camargo, Thales S. A. ^[2] ; Marzo, Asier ^[3]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Phys, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Min & Petr Engn, BR-11013560 Santos - Brazil

^[3] Univ Publ Navarra, Comp Sci, Pamplona 31006, Navarre - Spain

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Review of Scientific Instruments; v. 89, n. 12 DEC 2018.
• Citações Web of Science: 6

Resumo

We present an acoustic levitation system that automatically injects, transports, merges and ejects liquid droplets in mid-air. The system consists of a phased array operating at 40 kHz on top of a plane reflector. The phase array generates multiple focal points at independent positions that form standing waves between the array and the reflector. In the reflector there is an inlet for a piezoelectric droplet injector which automatically inserts liquid droplets at the lower pressure nodes of the standing waves, and a hole that serves as an outlet for ejecting the processed droplets out of the system. Simulations of the acoustic radiation potential acting on the levitating droplets are in good agreement with the experiments. High-speed footage captured the functioning of the system in four fluidic operations: injection, transport, merging and ejection of liquid droplets. Having these operations integrated reliably into a single automatic system paves the way for the adoption of mid-air acoustophoretic processing in biological, chemical and pharmaceutical applications. Published by AIP Publishing. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 17/27078-0 - Desenvolvimento de sistemas de levitação acústica
• Beneficiário: Marco Aurélio Brizzotti Andrade
• Linha de fomento: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 18/04101-0 - Desenvolvimento de novos dispositivos ultrassônicos para levitação de objetos em ar
• Beneficiário: Marco Aurélio Brizzotti Andrade
• Linha de fomento: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Pesquisador Visitante - Internacional