We present a novel bifocal imaging method enabling three-dimensional particle tracking and size determination employing a single camera only. The method is based on double refraction causing a particle to be imaged twice, each particle image of different blur. From these double images, a linear calibration…
Standing surface acoustic waves (sSAW) emerged as a flexible tool for precise manipulation of spherical and non-spherical objects in Lab-on-a-Chip devices. While the manipulation of suspended particles and cells in acoustofluidic devices is mostly dominated by acoustic forces due to acoustic scattering…
The active manipulation of particle and cell trajectories in fluids by high-frequency standing surface acoustic waves (sSAW) allows to separate particles and cells systematically depending on their size and acoustic contrast. However, process technologies and biomedical applications usually operate with…
Microfluidic flows feature typically fully three-dimensional velocity fields. However, often the optical access for measurements is limited. Astigmatism or defocus particle tracking velocimetry is a technique that enables the 3D position determination of individual particles by the analysis of astigmatic/defocused…
Miniaturized on-chip micropumps with no moving parts are intriguing components for advanced lab-on-chip systems. Magnetohydrodynamic pumping is one possibility but requires further research with respect to microsystems design and fabrication. In this paper, the design and fabrication of a magnetohydrodynamic…
Generally, the pattern formed by individual particles trapped inside a microfluidic chamber by a two-dimensional standing acoustic wave field has been considered only the result of the acoustic radiation force. Previous studies showed that particles can be trapped at the local minima and maxima of the…
The systematic manipulation of components of multimodal particle solutions is a key for the design of modern industrial products and pharmaceuticals with highly customized properties. In order to optimize innovative particle separation devices on microfluidic scales, a particle size recognition with…
A multistage optimization method is developed yielding Tesla valves that are efficient even at low flow rates, characteristic, e.g., for almost all microfluidic systems, where passive valves have intrinsic advantages over active ones. We report on optimized structures that show a diodicity of up to 1.8…
Microfluidic devices are governed by three-dimensional velocity and temperature fields, and their boundary conditions are often unknown. Therefore, a measurement technique is often desired to measure both fields in a volume. With astigmatism particle tracking velocimetry (APTV) combined with luminescence…
Acoustic tweezers facilitate a noninvasive, contactless, and label-free method for the precise manipulation of micro objects, including biological cells. Although cells are exposed to mechanical and thermal stress, acoustic tweezers are usually considered as biocompatible. Here, we present a holistic…
By integrating surface acoustic waves (SAW) into microfluidic devices, microparticle systems can be fractionated precisely in flexible and easily scalable Lab-on-a-Chip platforms. The widely adopted driving mechanism behind this principle is the acoustic radiation force, which depends on the size and…
Recently, large progress was made in the development towards low-cost PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) for industrial and educational applications. This paper presents the use of two low-cost action cameras for stereoscopic planar PIV. A continuous wave laser or alternatively an LED was used for illumination…
Many applications in chemistry, biology and medicine use microfluidic devices to separate, detect and analyze samples on a miniaturized size-level. Fluid flows evolving in channels of only several tens to hundreds of micrometers in size are often of a 3D nature, affecting the tailored transport of cells…
As measurements of velocity and temperature fields are of paramount importance for analyzing heat transfer problems, the development and characterization of measuring techniques is an ongoing challenge. In this respect, optical measurements have become a powerful tool, as both quantities can be measured…