Reconfigurable particle separation by dynamic acoustic fields in microfluidic devices

Advances in diagnostics, cell and stem cell technologies drive the development of application specific tools for cell and particle separation. Acoustic micro-particle separation offers a promising avenue for label-free, high recovery, cell and particle separation and isolation in tissue engineering and targeted drug delivery. In this paper, we present two methods of separating particles in a microfluidic channel. The first method uses custom-made micro-particles and by changing the acoustic contrast factor, the micro-particles shift from acoustic node to antinodes, compared to commercialised micro-particles. The second method relies on shifting the acoustic standing wave in a pattern called dynamic acoustic field. We demonstrate that both methods separate particles up to 100%.