title: Acoustophoretic contactless transport and handling of matter in air.
abstract: Levitation and controlled motion of matter in air have a wealth of potential applications ranging from materials processing to biochemistry and pharmaceuticals. We present a unique acoustophoretic concept for the contactless transport and handling of matter in air. Spatiotemporal modulation of the levitation acoustic field allows continuous planar transport and processing of multiple objects, from near-spherical (volume of 0.1-10 μL) to wire-like, without being limited by the acoustic wavelength. The independence of the handling principle from special material properties (magnetic, optical, or electrical) is illustrated with a wide palette of application experiments, such as contactless droplet coalescence and mixing, solid-liquid encapsulation, absorption, dissolution, and DNA transfection. More than a century after the pioneering work of Lord Rayleigh on acoustic radiation pressure, a path-breaking concept is proposed to harvest the significant benefits of acoustic levitation in air.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Foresti
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nabavi
authors.forename: Mirko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klingauf
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Dimos
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Poulikakos
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D014162:Transfection / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
keywords: acoustics; fluid; manipulation; microfluidics; ultrasounds