We report the use of focused surface acoustic waves ͑SAWs͒ generated on 128°rotated Y-cut X-propagating lithium niobate ͑LiNbO 3 ͒ for enhancing the actuation of fluids and the manipulation of particle suspensions at microscale dimensions. In particular, we demonstrate increased efficiency and speed in carrying out particle concentration/separation and in generating intense micromixing in microliter drops within which acoustic streaming is induced due to the focused SAW beneath the drop. Concentric circular and elliptical single-phase unidirectional transducers ͑SPUDTs͒ were used to focus the SAW. We benchmark our results against a straight SPUDT which does not cause focusing of the SAW. Due to the increased wave intensity and asymmetry of the wave, we found both circular and elliptical SPUDTs concentrate particles in under 1 s, which is one order of magnitude faster than the straight SPUDT and several orders of magnitude faster than conventional microscale devices. The concentric circular SPUDT was found to be most effective at a given input power since it generated the largest azimuthal velocity gradient within the fluid to drive particle shear migration. On the other hand, the concentric elliptical SPUDT generated the highest micromixing intensity due to the more narrowly focused SAW radiation that substantially enhances acoustic streaming in the fluid.

We exploit large accelerations associated with surface acoustic waves to drive an extraordinary fluid jetting phenomena. Laterally focusing the acoustic energy to a small region beneath a drop placed on the surface causes rapid interfacial destabilization. Above a critical Weber number We, an elongated jet forms for drops with dimensions greater than the fluid sound wavelength. Further increases in We lead to single droplet pinch-off and subsequent axisymmetric breakup to form multiple droplets. A simple equation based on a momentum balance is derived to predict the jet velocity.

The ability to detect microbes, pollens and other microparticles is a critically important ability given the increasing risk of bioterrorism and emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The efficient collection of microparticles via a liquid water droplet moved by a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device is demonstrated in this study. A fluidic track patterned on the SAW device directs the water droplet's motion, and fluid streaming induced inside the droplet as it moves along is a key advantage over other particle collection approaches, because it enhances microparticle collection and concentration. Test particles consisted of 2, 10, 12 and 45 microm diameter monodisperse polystyrene and melamine microparticles; pollen from the Populus deltoides, Kochia scoparia, Secale cerale, and Broussonetia papyrifera (Paper Mulberry) species; and Escherichia coli bacteria. The collection efficiency for the synthetic particles ranged from 16 to 55%, depending on the particle size and surface tension of the collection fluid. The method was more effective in collecting pollen and the bacteria with an efficiency of 45-68% and 61.0-69.8%, respectively. Pollen collection was strongly influenced by its diameter, size, and surface geometry in a manner contrary to initial expectations. Reasons for the consistent yet unexpected collection results include leaky SAW pressure boundary segregation and shear-induced concentration of larger particles, and the subtle effects of wetting interactions. These results demonstrate a new method for collecting microparticles requiring only about one second per run, and illustrate the inadequacy of using synthetic microparticles as a substitute for their biological counterparts in experiments studying particle collection and behavior.

A surface acoustic wave-based sample delivery and ionization method that requires minimal to no sample pretreatment and that can operate under ambient conditions is described. This miniaturized technology enables real-time, rapid, and high-throughput analysis of trace compounds in complex mixtures, especially high ionic strength and viscous samples that can be challenging for conventional ionization techniques such as electrospray ionization. This technique takes advantage of high order surface acoustic wave (SAW) vibrations that both manipulate small volumes of liquid mixtures containing trace analyte compounds and seamlessly transfers analytes from the liquid sample into gas phase ions for mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. Drugs in human whole blood and plasma and heavy metals in tap water have been successfully detected at nanomolar concentrations by coupling a SAW atomization and ionization device with an inexpensive, paper-based sample delivery system and mass spectrometer. The miniaturized SAW ionization unit requires only a modest operating power of 3 to 4 W and, therefore, provides a viable and efficient ionization platform for the real-time analysis of a wide range of compounds.

PACS 77.65.Dq -Acoustoelectric effects and surface acoustic waves (SAW) in piezoelectrics PACS 47.61.-k -Micro-and nano-scale flow phenomena PACS 43.25.+y -Nonlinear acoustics Abstract -Very-high-frequency surface acoustic waves, generated and transmitted along singlecrystal lithium niobate, are used to drive homogeneous aqueous suspensions of polystyrene nanoparticles along microchannels. At a few hundred milliwatts, uniform and mixing flows with speeds of up to 10 mm/s were obtained in centimetres-long rectangular channels with crosssectional dimensions of tens to a few hundreds of microns. A transition from uniform to mixing flow occurs as the channel width grows beyond the wavelength of sound in the fluid at the chosen excitation frequency. At far lower input powers, the suspension agglomerates into equally spaced, serpentine lines coincident with nodal lines in the acoustic pressure field. We expose the physics underlying these disparate phenomena with experimental results aided by numerical models.