Soft‐Contact Acoustic Microgripper Based on a Controllable Gas–Liquid Interface for Biomicromanipulations. Issue 49 (5th November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhou, Yidi; Liu, Jixiao; Yan, Junjia; Guo, Shijie; Li, Tiejun
• Is Part Of: Small. Volume 17:Issue 49(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-11-05
• Subjects: acoustic tweezers -- acoustofluidics -- biomicromanipulation -- cell transportation and rotation -- gas–liquid interface; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; Nanoparticles -- Periodicals; Microtechnology -- Periodicals; 620.5
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202104579
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1613-6810

Abstract

Abstract: The manipulation of microscale bioentities is desired in many biological and biomedical applications. However, the potential unobservable damage to bioparticles due to rigid contact has always been a source of concern. Herein, a soft‐contact acoustic microgripper to handle microparticles to improve the interaction safety is introduced. The system takes advantage of the acoustic‐enhanced adhesion of flexible gas‐liquid interfaces to capture‐release, transport, and rotate the target, such as microbeads (20–65 µ m) and zebrafish embryos (from 950 µ m to 1.4 mm). The gas‐liquid interface generated at the tip of a microcapillary can be precisely controlled by a pneumatic pressure source. The gas‐liquid interface oscillation excited by acoustic energy imposes coupled radiation force and drag force on the microparticles, enabling multidimensional movements. Experiments with the microbeads are conducted to evaluate the claimed function and quantify the key parameters that influence the manipulation result. Additionally, 250 zebrafish embryos are captured, transported, and rotated. The hatching rate of the 250 manipulated embryos is approximately 98% similar to that of the nonmanipulated group, which proves the noninvasiveness of the method. The derived theories and experimental data indicate that the developed soft‐contact microgripper is functional and beneficial for biological and medical applications. Abstract : The gas–liquid interface oscillation excited by acoustic energy imposes coupled radiation force and drag force on the target micro‐bioentities for capturing and transportation. The flow velocity gradient is used to rotate the immobilized micro‐object. It can be a powerful tool in 3D micromanipulation, 3D imaging of biological objects, and 3D cell mechanical properties analysis.