Selective Particle Filtering in a Large Acoustophoretic Serpentine Channel

Area of Science:

• Fluid dynamics
• Acoustic manipulation
• Particle separation technology

Background:

• Acoustically driven particle manipulation offers label-free separation methods.
• Serpentine microchannels are explored for particle focusing and separation applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the performance of a serpentine channel for acoustically driven selective particle filtering.
• To demonstrate selective particle trapping and separation in hairpin sections of the channel.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a serpentine channel prototype using 3D printing.
• Generation of acoustic waves using a piezoelectric transducer (near 2 MHz).
• Computer simulations for flow and acoustic field visualization, complemented by experimental validation.

Main Results:

• Selective particle trapping achieved in hairpin sections, confirmed experimentally.
• Demonstration of selective trapping for polyethylene particles (34–100 µm) by adjusting flow rate or transducer voltage.
• Successful selective filtration of yeast (up to 20 µm) from wheat beer.

Conclusions:

• Acoustically driven selective particle filtering is feasible in a 3D-printed serpentine channel.
• Adjusting flow rate or acoustic transducer voltage provides clear separation thresholds for particle filtering.
• The developed method shows potential for applications in microfluidic particle separation and purification.