SmartFluidics: Automated manipulation of microparticles
Microparticle and cell manipulation hold significant importance in numerous medical and biological applications. In the past decade, advancements in microfluidics have facilitated various functionalities such as recognition, focusing, mixing, counting, lysis, and analysis of individual cells through lab-on-a-chip devices.
This study introduces an innovative autonomous technique utilizing ultrasound-driven microbubble streaming to accurately position single particles across the width of a microchannel. Open-loop control algorithms are integrated into the system operation, enabling precise active positioning of cells. The proposed control system performs particle positioning individually for each microparticle, regardless of its initial position. The technique incorporates control algorithms and diverse functionalities to detect the initial position of a specific particle, initiate microstreaming at the appropriate time by triggering the piezoelectric input and track the target particle until it reaches its final position with an accuracy of tens of micrometers. The final position can be either manually set by the operator or automatically defined by the movement of the mouse pointer in live mode. The development of such complex control systems, alongside fully automated control of flow rate, pressure, and switching microfluidic valves, has been an active focus of this project.
Cooperations:
- N.N.
Person in charge:
- Amirabas Bakhtiari, MSc.
Funding:
- German Research Foundation (DFG)
Publications:
- Bakhtiari A, Kähler CJ (2022) Automated monitoring and positioning of single microparticle via ultrasound-driven microbubble streaming. Microfluidics and Nanofluidics 26:59
- Bakhtiari A, Kähler CJ (2023)Automated microparticle positioning using a pair of ultrasound-actuated microbubbles for microfluidic applications. Microfluidics and Nanofluidics 27:1-9