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Patterning of Microorganisms and Microparticles through Sequential Capillarity-assisted Assembly
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Phase holograms for the three-dimensional patterning of unconstrained microparticles
Mohamed A Ghanem1, Adam D Maxwell2, Diane Dalecki3
1Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, 1013 NE 40th St., Seattle, WA, 98105, USA. mghanem@uw.edu.
Scientific Reports
|June 6, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a novel acoustic manipulation technique using a single transducer and travelling waves to pattern microparticles. This method shows promise for in vivo applications in tissue engineering.
Area of Science:
- Acoustic manipulation
- Biophysics
- Microscale engineering
Background:
- Acoustic radiation forces enable remote particle manipulation.
- Standing wave fields create 3D microstructures but are difficult for in vivo use.
- In vivo applications require simpler acoustic manipulation methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a method for manipulating microspheres using a single transducer and travelling acoustic waves.
- To replicate standing wave patterns for microparticle alignment using a travelling wave.
- To assess the feasibility of in vivo cell patterning for tissue engineering.
Main Methods:
- Utilized diffraction theory and an iterative angular spectrum approach to design phase holograms.
- Shaped acoustic fields to mimic standing wave patterns with a single travelling wave transducer.
- Employed Gor'kov potential to calculate radiation forces and optimize particle alignment.
Main Results:
- Successfully manipulated polyethylene microspheres in water using a travelling wave.
- Achieved stable particle aggregation patterns at pressure nodes, mimicking in vivo cell behavior.
- Phase hologram predictions closely matched experimental results (feature similarity index > 0.92).
Conclusions:
- A single-transducer travelling wave method can effectively pattern microparticles.
- This technique overcomes limitations of standing wave generation for in vivo applications.
- The findings support potential in vivo cell patterning for tissue engineering.
