Detachable artificial micro-structured silicon chip for reconfigurable acoustofluidic particle manipulation

The utilization of reconfigurable acoustofluidic manipulation facilitates diverse and complex modes of particle patterning. Traditional approaches employ a variety of advanced acoustic transducers and equipment configurations to modify the acoustic field, which is challenging for disposable, portable, and cost-effective biomedical applications. For the first time, we demonstrate the feasibility of using an artificial micro-structured waveguide silicon chip to generate a variety of unique modes of the acoustic field for reconfigurable and versatile particle manipulation. The distribution of acoustic field for eleven different designs of artificial micro-hole structures and bare surfaces was simulated and subsequently fabricated using laser-cut techniques for acoustofluidic demonstration. The impact of using Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film and glass sheet as the sealing layer on the particle pattern shape and moving velocity was characterized. It was observed that by adjusting the excitation frequency and microchamber size, the modes of the particle pattern were changed, thereby demonstrating the remarkable flexibility of particle reconfiguration. The investigation of thermal effect quantification validates the possibility of long-term operation while maintaining a high level of biocompatibility. Additionally, the plug-and-play assembly mode enables the elimination of microfluidic components to prevent the occurrence of cross-contamination. Such reconfigurable acoustofluidic manipulation platforms have the potential to serve as sample treatment tools in chemical and biomedical instruments.