Hypersonic-Induced 3D Hydrodynamic Tweezers for Versatile Manipulations of Micro/Nanoscale Objects

Developing microrobots for precisely manipulating micro/nanoscale objects has triggered tremendous research interest for various applications in biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Here, a novel hypersonic-induced hydrodynamic tweezers (HSHTs), which use gigahertz nano-electromechanical resonator to create localized 3D vortex streaming array for the capture and manipulation of micro- and nanoparticles in three orientations: transportation in a plane and self-rotation in place, are presented. 3D vortex streaming can effectively pick up particles from the flow, whereas the high-speed rotating vortices are used to drive self-rotation simultaneously. By tuning flow rate, the captured particles can be delivered, queued, and selectively sorted through the 3D HSHTs. Through numerical simulations and theoretical analysis, the generation of the 3D vortex and the mechanism of the particles manipulation by ultrahigh frequency acoustic wave are demonstrated. Benefitting from the advantages of the acoustic and hydrodynamic method, the developed HSHTs work in a precise, noninvasive, label-free, and contact-free manner, enabling wide applications in micro/nanoscale manipulations and biomedical research.