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Attoliter-level droplet-ordered arrays based on acoustic nano-scissors
Wei Wei1, Zhaoxun Wang1, Yiming Liu1
1The State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China. zml@tju.edu.cn.
Lab on a Chip
|December 15, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed acoustic nano-scissors to precisely cut liquids into attoliter-scale droplets. This breakthrough enables new possibilities for ultrasmall droplet manipulation and patterning on open interfaces.
Area of Science:
- Nanofluidics
- Acoustofluidics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Generating and manipulating attoliter (aL) and femtoliter (fL) droplets is vital for single-molecule detection, drug delivery, and nanoscale biochemical research.
- Ultrasmall droplets possess unique physicochemical properties, including low Reynolds number flow and interface-dominated mass transport.
- Ordered liquid-patterned arrays are promising for applications like optically tunable nano-lenses, but their creation at the attoliter scale remains challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel method for generating and manipulating attoliter-scale droplets at open interfaces.
- To overcome the limitations of existing technologies in producing and controlling ultrasmall droplets.
- To enable precise patterning of attoliter droplets for advanced applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized acoustic nano-scissors, driven by lateral modes of high-frequency bulk acoustic waves.
- Leveraged the acoustofluidic effect in thin liquid films to generate shear forces.
- Applied these shear forces at the liquid interface to precisely cut it into attoliter-scale droplets.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated attoliter-scale droplets at an open interface, achieving volumes over three orders of magnitude smaller than existing acoustic methods.
- Demonstrated the ability to create ordered attoliter droplet arrays with specific patterns.
- Showcased fast droplet splitting and merging controlled by device activation and deactivation.
Conclusions:
- Acoustic nano-scissors offer a novel and flexible solution for attoliter droplet generation and manipulation.
- This technology facilitates the creation of ordered attoliter droplet arrays on open interfaces.
- The findings pave the way for advancements in fields requiring precise control over ultrasmall liquid volumes.
