Recent advances in acoustic microfluidics and its exemplary applications

Abstract

Acoustic-based microfluidics has been widely used in recent years for fundamental research due to its simple device design, biocompatibility, and contactless operation. In this article, the basic theory, typical devices, and technical applications of acoustic microfluidics technology are summarized. First, the theory of acoustic microfluidics is introduced from the classification of acoustic waves, acoustic radiation force, and streaming flow. Then, various applications of acoustic microfluidics including sorting, mixing, atomization, trapping, patterning, and acoustothermal heating are reviewed. Finally, the development trends of acoustic microfluidics in the future were summarized and looked forward to.

Recent microfluidic advances in submicron to nanoparticle manipulation and separation

“…In summary, acoustophoresis has been used in a wide range of applications in biomedical research, such as diagnostics and therapeutics. 104,107 In general, it possesses the advantages of being contactless, biocompatible, highly controllable, and versatile in submicron and nanoparticle manipulation. However, the processing throughput is relatively low, the fabrication process for these devices is complex, and the induced thermal energy may deteriorate 13 (B) Ultrafiltration.…”

Micro‐Acoustic Holograms for Detachable Microfluidic Devices

“…[8][9][10][11][12] Microfluidic devices offer unique advantages over conventional laboratory techniques due to their compact nature, low fabrication cost, rapid turnaround time, and precise microenvironment control. [13][14][15][16][17][18] Several approaches have been developed to actively achieve micromanipulation in microfluidic devices, including microgrippers, [19,20] electrowetting, [21][22][23] and magnetic [24][25][26] optical [27,28] and acoustic [29][30][31][32][33] forces. Among these methods, acoustic methods have been widely used due to their advantages in being contactless, biocompatible, and ability to achieve manipulation on cellular length scales.…”

Recent advances in droplet‐based microfluidics in liquid biopsy for cancer diagnosis

“…Microfluidics is a technology that manipulates fluidics at a microscale, which can integrate multiple functions, such as mixers, actuators, reactors, separators, and sensors into a single chip to optimize the detection process 11,12 . Due to the highly integrated system and compact size, microfluidic devices have the advantages of reducing sample consumption, shortening reaction time, improving detection sensitivity, and reducing cost 13 . Droplet‐based microfluidics is an important subcategory of microfluidics that utilizes two immiscible liquid phases within microchannels to generate monodisperse water‐in‐oil (w/o) micro‐ or nano‐droplets 14 .…”