Issue 4, 2014

Continuous flow actuation between external reservoirs in small-scale devices driven by surface acoustic waves

Abstract

We have designed and characterized a surface acoustic wave (SAW) fluid actuation platform that significantly improves the transmission of sound energy from the SAW device into the fluid in order to obtain enhanced performance. This is in distinct contrast to previous SAW microfluidic devices where the SAW substrate is simply interfaced with a microchannel without due consideration given to the direction in which the sound energy is transmitted into the fluid, thus resulting in considerable reflective and dissipative losses due to reflection and absorption at the channel walls. For the first time, we therefore demonstrate the ability for continuous fluid transfer between independent reservoirs driven by the SAW in a miniature device and report the associated pressure–flow rate relationship, in which a maximum flow rate of 100 μl min−1 and pressure of 15 Pa were obtained. The pumping efficiency is observed to increase with input power and, at peak performance, offers an order-of-magnitude improvement over that of existing SAW micropumps that have been reported to date.

Graphical abstract: Continuous flow actuation between external reservoirs in small-scale devices driven by surface acoustic waves

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 Aug 2013
Accepted
18 Nov 2013
First published
19 Nov 2013

Lab Chip, 2014,14, 750-758

Continuous flow actuation between external reservoirs in small-scale devices driven by surface acoustic waves

M. B. Dentry, J. R. Friend and L. Y. Yeo, Lab Chip, 2014, 14, 750 DOI: 10.1039/C3LC50933H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements