Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Royal Melbourne Institute Technology

Leslie Yu-Ming Yeo

James Robert Friend

Peggy Chan

Nicholas Glass

Richard Shilton

Brett Watson

Disclosed is a centrifugal microfluidic device comprising a piezoelectric substrate; a rotatable platform device on the substrate; and at least one transducer on the substrate, the transducer being configured to generate a surface acoustic wave that propagates on the surface of the substrate and contacts the rotatable platform device asymmetrically to transfer energy thereto with a lateral distribution to cause rotation of the rotatable platform device. The device may be a microfluidic valve, a microfluidic mixer or a microfluidic particle concentrator.

Centrifugal microfluidic device

A method of manipulating particles suspended within a fluid droplet using a microfluidic system including a piezo-electric substrate () and a wave generation means () for generating a wave within the piezoelectric substrate (), and a working surface () through which the wave can be distributed and upon which fluid droplets () can be located, the method including locating one or more droplets of fluid on the working surface (), varying the power applied to the wave generation means () or varying the distribution of the wave across the working surface (), such that particles () suspended within the fluid droplet () are either dispersed within the droplet or concentrated in an area within the droplet in dependence on the power or wave distribution applied by the wave generation means () to the piezoelectric substrate (), or to facilitate rotation of the fluid within said fluid droplets () located jn the path of the wave.

Concentration and dispersion of small particles in small fluid volumes using acoustic energy

A piezoelectric actuator including a piezoelectric element and an elongate transducer mounted on the piezoelectric element. The transducer is formed from an elongate cylindrical member, and at least one helical slot is provided around the outer surface of the cylindrical member to enable coupling of resonance modes of the transducer when actuated by the piezoelectric element.

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Victoria, Australia

Leslie Yu-Ming Yeo