Development of a piezoelectric transducers system to improve mixing of fluids

Abstract

The growing interest in microfluidic devices lead to the necessity of handling fluids at micro-scales and improve reaction times, which is intrinsically related to a fast and efficient mixing process. The 96 well microplates used for biochemical analysis, usually require fluids mixing before analysis, which is commonly performed by mechanically stirring. In this work, it was developed an electric actuating system based on piezoelectric PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate) and PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) transducers, which are to be placed under the microplate, in order to generate and transmit acoustic waves to the wells. A fast and efficient mixing process was achieved and demonstrated thought a qualitative approach.