Abstract
Acoustic actuation techniques offer a promising tool for contactless manipulation of both synthetic and biological micro/nano agents that encompass different length scales. The traditional usage of sound waves has steadily progressed from mid-air manipulation of salt grains to sophisticated techniques that employ nanoparticle flow in microfluidic networks. State-of-the-art in microfabrication and instrumentation have further expanded the outreach of these actuation techniques to autonomous propulsion of micro-agents. In this review article, we provide a universal perspective of the known acoustic micromanipulation technologies in terms of their applications and governing physics. Hereby, we survey these technologies and classify them with regards to passive and active manipulation of agents. These manipulation methods account for both intelligent devices adept at dexterous non-contact handling of micro-agents, and acoustically induced mechanisms for self-propulsion of micro-robots. Moreover, owing to the clinical compliance of ultrasound, we provide future considerations of acoustic manipulation techniques to be fruitfully employed in biological applications that range from label-free drug testing to minimally invasive clinical interventions.
Highlights
Non-contact manipulation methods form an integral part of modern-day microsystem technology and provide prospects for diverse biomedical applications from tissue engineering to clinical diagnostics
Our survey presents a panoramic view of acoustic micromanipulation methods targeting agents that range from mm-size size bio-organisms, microrobots and up to nanoparticles
We entail an eclectic set of devices that enable sound waves to trap these agents or transport them along microchannels, and different autonomous agents with self-propulsion ability
Summary
Non-contact manipulation methods form an integral part of modern-day microsystem technology and provide prospects for diverse biomedical applications from tissue engineering to clinical diagnostics. The requirement for high magnetic field or gradient burdens the instrumentation of magnetic tweezers These trade-offs necessitate a low-power actuation tool that offers a broad range of target size for micromanipulation. Various other remote actuation strategies exploit the self-propulsion ability of the agent triggered by their acoustic excitation to specific resonant frequencies [14,15,16] These agents actively participate in their actuation process by means of an on-board powering unit that mobilizes them remotely. Techniques, material composition or chemical functionalization of the agents post-synthesis Such actuation strategies contribute towards microrobotic technologies that play a pivotal role in generation surgical interventions [18,19]. We summarize the actuation strategies and our recommendations for their respective technologies that may advance the field of acoustic manipulation
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