Figure 1: a) A schematic illustration of the interaction between a surface acoustic wave (SAW) and a fluidat the surface of the LiNbO3 substrate. The SAW is propagating from left to right, impinging the liquid at x=0. A longitudinal sound wave is radiated into the fluid under a refraction angle ΘR. b) The SAW driven microfluidic lab-on-a-chip. Four droplets (≈100 nl each) and a 5μl cover droplet of mineral oil are moved in a “remotely controlled” manner and independently by the nanopumps; 1) through 4) represent a series of snapshots of the lab-on-a-chip system to visualize the movement and the “nanochemical” reactions occurring when the droplets are merged and mixed in the reaction centers A and B by the action of the surface wave. |