A new strategy to capture single biological micro particles at the interface between a water film and substrate by ultrasonic tweezers

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Controlled capture of single biological micro particles, with effective capture function, little heat damage to and good stability of captured samples simultaneously, has been a technological challenge in the area of micro manipulation. This paper presents an ultrasonic tweezers based new strategy to meet the challenge. In the strategy, being different from the other ultrasonic methods, the MMP (micro manipulating probe), which vibrates elliptically, is in contact with the substrate. Single yeast cells with a diameter of 3–7 μm and Chlorella vulgaris powders with a diameter of 2–10 μm near the MMP can be sucked onto the MMP’s tip. The captured particle can be transferred to a desired location at the interface between the water film and substrate by moving the ultrasonic tweezers. The temperature rise in the capture region is less than 0.1 °C, and the sucking distance can be up to 20 μm. The captured particle is in contact with the MMP’s tip, which results in a good stability of the captured particle. The experiments also show that it is possible to use multiple MMPs to individually capture single cells. The finite element analyses indicate that acoustic radiation force generated by the ultrasonic field around the MMP is responsible for the capture. Moreover, the effects of the orthogonal vibration components, tilt angle and length of the MMP on the capture capability are clarified.