Integrated functions of microfluidics and gravimetric sensing enabled by piezoelectric driven microstructures

Abstract

Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems resonators have been regarded as powerful tools for precision mass detection, and their abilities to measure these in a liquid environment open various opportunities for biosensing, chemical analysis, and environmental monitoring. Apart from overcoming issues of fluidic damping and electrical interfaces, there is a great challenge of bringing microanalytes to these devices with the required precision and scaling for high throughput sensing. Herein, we address the above challenges by proposing a self-excited localized acoustic manipulation methodology based on a piezoelectric micromechanical diaphragm resonator (PMDR). Such a PMDR integrates acoustofluidics and mass sensing functions in tandem on a single device. Particle enrichment is realized within tens of seconds and the limit of detection is enhanced by mitigating common issues such as low capture rate and non-uniform distribution. The developed PMDR is versatile in its applicability to a range of particle sizes and densities for both acoustofluidic actuation and in situ mass sensing. This work addresses long-term technical challenges of inaccurate and inefficient measurement of liquid phase resonance mass sensing with great application potentials in biochemical detection and environmental monitoring.