Interplay of acoustophoresis and dielectrophoresis in a standing surface acoustic wave field: from spherical to non-spherical particles

作者：S. Sachs, David Schreier, Felix Brand, K. Drese, C. Cierpka, J. König · 发表于：Microfluidics and Nanofluidics · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1007/s10404-024-02762-8 · 被引用次数：9

Standing surface acoustic waves (sSAW) emerged as a flexible tool for precise manipulation of spherical and non-spherical objects in Lab-on-a-Chip devices. While the manipulation of suspended particles and cells in acoustofluidic devices is mostly dominated by acoustic forces due to acoustic scattering and the acoustically induced fluid flow, surface acoustic waves are inherently linked to an inhomogeneous electric field. The superimposed effects of dielectrophoretic forces and torques on polarizable particles are less explored in microfluidics using sSAW. In this study, a thorough analysis of the physical interplay of acoustophoresis and dielectrophoresis aims to bridge this gap. In comprehensive experiments, the dielectrophoretic impact on the behavior of spherical and non-spherical particles is distinguished by screening the electric field of the sSAW inside the micro channel locally. As a result, particles are forced into trapping locations across the entire channel height. However, the height position close to the bottom differs between the screened and non-screened region. Regardless of the shape of the particles used in this study, particles are forced towards the bottom at the region with screening, while being levitated at regions without screening. This indicates clearly the influence of the electric field in close vicinity to the substrate surface. Furthermore, the unintuitive preferred orientation of prolate spheroids perpendicular to the pressure nodes of the sSA...