Abstract
We present an acoustically actuated microfluidic mixer, which can operate at flowrates reaching 8 ml min-1, providing a 50-fold improvement in throughput compared to previously demonstrated acoustofluidic approaches. The device consists of a robust silicon based micro-mechanical oscillator, sandwiched between two polymeric channels which guide the fluids in and out of the system. The chip is actuated by application of an oscillatory electrical signal onto a piezoelectric disk coupled to the substrate by adhesive. At the optimal frequency, this acoustofluidic system can homogenise two fluids with a relative mixing efficiency of 91%, within 4.1 ms from first contact. The micromixer has been used to synthesize two different systems: Budesonide nanodrugs with an average diameter of 80 ± 22 nm, and DNA nanoparticles with an average diameter of 63.3 ± 24.7 nm.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 582-591 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Lab on a Chip |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7 Feb 2020 |