G. Potter
SUNY Albany, NY, USA
Many sensors, such as flow sensors and those used in medical diagnostics, rely on microfluidic devices. However, mixing and pumping fluids becomes challenging because of the small size of these devices. As an alternative to traditional actuation methods, surface acoustic waves (SAWs) can be used to create fluid streaming. Through a collaboration between SUNY Albany and SEMATECH, researchers have modeled and simulated a configuration of interdigitated transducers (IDTs), along with the piezoelectric substrate configuration and harmonic vibrations that generate SAWs. Using COMSOL Multiphysics, they studied the factors that affect the optimization of the device geometry, such as the acoustic streaming response and resonant frequency. Using their simulation results, they have confirmed that SAWs with greater vertical displacements have higher streaming velocities, and have correlated their results to experimental measurements.
Suggested Stories
The Thermal Management of Li-ion Battery Packs
At the Fiat Research Center in Italy, Michele Gosso and Antonio Fiumara are working on the development of providing ...
Improving Overhead Equipment Devices for a New Era of Railway Transportation
Using structural modeling and optimization, Raychem RPG designed an autotensioning device and modular cantilever for ...
Doubling Beam Intensity Unlocks Rare Opportunities for Discovery at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Behind the discovery of the most fundamental and rare physical processes within our universe is powerful technology, ...
A STEP in the Right Direction: Modeling AC Losses in a Tokamak Design
The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) program aims to deliver a prototype fusion energy plant in the ...
