Design of a piezoelectric pneumatic linear actuator in cell manipulation

A pneumatic piezoelectric linear actuator (PPLA) is proposed, which possesses the advantages of low power consumption, environmental friendliness, and high linearity of positioning. The prototype of the PPLA consists of a piezoelectric gas pump with serial chambers and a cylinder. The piezoelectric gas pump with serial chambers is designed with a wedge valve and flexible support structure, which results in high output performance and meets the working requirements of pneumatic linear actuators. Prototypes of PPLA are designed and manufactured. Experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of chamber height, driving voltage, and driving frequency on the performance of the PPLA. The experimental results indicate that increasing the chamber height enhances the output performance of the PPLA. At 250 Vpp and 120 Hz, the PPLA achieves a maximum output velocity of 16.62 mm/min and is able to handle a maximum load of 11 N. Additionally, an injection simulation experiment using zebrafish embryos is conducted, which confirms the high control accuracy and linearity of the PPLA. The experiment demonstrates the potential application of the PPLA in the field of cell manipulation.