A conductive liquid-based surface acoustic wave device

Surface acoustic wave-based microfluidic devices are popular for fluid and particle manipulation because of their noninvasiveness, low energy consumption, and easy integration with other systems. However, they have been limited by the use of patterned metal electrodes on a piezoelectric substrate, which requires expensive and complicated fabrication processes. Herein, we show a simpler and more cost-effective method for generating surface acoustic waves using eutectic gallium indium as a conductive liquid which can replace conventional patterned metal electrodes. We also demonstrate the comparable performance for acoustic streaming and mixing using conductive liquid-based surface acoustic wave devices.