Hierarchical Nanostructures as Acoustically Manipulatable Multifunctional Agents in Dynamic Fluid Flow

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Acoustofluidics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Acoustic waves offer biocompatible, deep-tissue manipulation but are limited in dynamic bodily fluids.
• Existing manipulatable agents (gaseous particles) face challenges in fast flows, imaging, and design versatility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate novel acoustically manipulatable agents for dynamic fluid environments.
• To overcome limitations of current agents in high-velocity flows and expand their biomedical applications.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of flower-like hierarchical nanostructures (HNS) into microparticles (MPs) to create HNS-MPs.
• Acoustic trapping and manipulation experiments in high-velocity fluid flows.
• Computational simulations to validate acoustic streaming mechanisms for trapping.

Main Results:

• HNS-MPs demonstrated effective and reproducible acoustic trapping in high-velocity flows.
• Simulations confirmed acoustic streaming draws HNS-MPs to focal points and creates traps.
• HNS-MPs showed potential as multimodal imaging agents and microrobots.

Conclusions:

• Hierarchical nanostructure microparticles (HNS-MPs) are effective for acoustic manipulation in dynamic fluids.
• HNS-MPs offer a versatile platform for biomedical applications including imaging, drug delivery, and fluid purification.
• This work expands the application of HNS materials into acoustofluidics and biomedicine.