Microfluidics Actuations and Applications via High Frequency Acoustic Waves

The thesis mainly focuses on the enhancements in microfluidics actuations driven by high frequency acoustic waves and the demonstrations of their potential applications which can be applied in various fields. For example, efficiency gains in micro-particles concentration and micro-mixing driven by acoustic waves are contributing to medical diagnostics and biological studies; and the enhanced atomization (generation of small aerosols from bulk liquid) can be utilized for pulmonary drug delivery (e.g., asthma treatment) as well as spray cooling for microelectronics. Furthermore, the demonstrated acoustically mediated nanofiltration technique is capable to remove harmful nanoparticles from water as part of water purification process.