Miscible fluids patterning and micro-manipulation using vortex-based single-beam acoustic tweezers

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the experimental use of vortex-based acoustic tweezers to pattern and manipulate miscible fluids, supported by numerical modeling, enabling precise control of chemical concentration fields.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental validation of vortex-based acoustic tweezers for miscible fluid patterning, previously only theorized.

Findings

Successful experimental demonstration of fluid patterning.

Numerical model supports experimental results.

Potential applications in chemical and biological processes.

Abstract

Vortex-based single-beam tweezers have the ability to precisely and selectively move a wide range of objects, including particles, bubbles, droplets, and cells with sizes ranging from the millimeter to micrometer scale. In 2017, Karlsen and Bruus [Phys. Rev. Appl. 7, 034017 (2017)] theoretically suggested that these tweezers could also address one of the most challenging issues: the patterning and manipulation of miscible fluids. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate this ability using acoustic vortex beams generated by interdigital transducer-based active holograms. The experimental results are supported by a numerical model based on acoustic body force simulations. This work paves the way for the precise shaping of chemical concentration fields, a crucial factor in numerous chemical and biological processes.