Acoustofluidics, offering contact-free and precise manipulation of micro-objects, has emerged as a transformative tool for various biological and medical applications. In recent years, significant advancements have been made in droplet manipulation using acoustic waves. This review provides an in-depth exploration of acoustofluidic techniques for droplet manipulation, presenting a balanced perspective on the role of this versatile platform across diverse applications. The paper begins by introducing the underlying mechanism of acoustic forces acting on the droplets, followed by a comprehensive discussion of acoustofluidic techniques tailored for essential unit operations, such as droplet generation, separation, merging, splitting, steering, trapping, in-droplet sample manipulation, sample control within sessile droplets, and digital acoustofluidics. Finally, the prospects and limitations of acoustofluidics for droplet manipulations are also discussed, suggesting the future direction of droplet acoustofluidics research.
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Review Article|
June 04 2025
Droplet acoustofluidics: Recent progress and challenges Available to Purchase
Mushtaq Ali
;
Mushtaq Ali
(Investigation, Writing – original draft)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chonnam National University
, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
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Woohyuk Kim
;
Woohyuk Kim
(Investigation, Writing – original draft)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chonnam National University
, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
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Muhammad Soban Khan
;
Muhammad Soban Khan
(Investigation)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chonnam National University
, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
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Mehmet Akif Sahin
;
Mehmet Akif Sahin
(Investigation)
2
Control and Manipulation of Microscale Living Objects, Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE), Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT), Technical University of Munich
, Einsteinstraße 25, 81675 Munich, Germany
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Ghulam Destgeer
;
Ghulam Destgeer
a)
(Conceptualization, Writing – review & editing)
2
Control and Manipulation of Microscale Living Objects, Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE), Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT), Technical University of Munich
, Einsteinstraße 25, 81675 Munich, Germany
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Jinsoo Park
Jinsoo Park
a)
(Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Writing – review & editing)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chonnam National University
, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
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Mushtaq Ali
1
Woohyuk Kim
1
Muhammad Soban Khan
1
Mehmet Akif Sahin
2
Ghulam Destgeer
2,a)
Jinsoo Park
1,a)
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chonnam National University
, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
2
Control and Manipulation of Microscale Living Objects, Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE), Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT), Technical University of Munich
, Einsteinstraße 25, 81675 Munich, Germany
Biomicrofluidics 19, 031502 (2025)
Article history
Received:
January 30 2025
Accepted:
April 12 2025
Citation
Mushtaq Ali, Woohyuk Kim, Muhammad Soban Khan, Mehmet Akif Sahin, Ghulam Destgeer, Jinsoo Park; Droplet acoustofluidics: Recent progress and challenges. Biomicrofluidics 1 May 2025; 19 (3): 031502. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0261531
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