Micro Acoustofluidics for Swimmers, Drug Delivery, and Artificial Lung

ME590 Seminar Speaker Dr. Sung Kwon Cho

Bio: Dr. Sung Kwon Cho is a full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Pittsburgh. He earned a BS, MS and Ph. D. from Seoul National University in Korea and had postdoc training at UCLA. Since he joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in Fall 2003, his research focus has been on “microfluidics,” fluid mechanics at micro or even smaller scales with emphasis on the development of a variety of micro/bio fluidic transducers and integrated systems. In particular, he has been active in the area of “(1) digital microfluidics by electrowetting and (2) acoustofluidics”, with financial supports of numerous federal grants (NSF, DOD, NIH, DOE, HSARPA, AHA) and University of Pittsburgh.

Additional Information:

Abstract: Acoustic waves generate oscillations as well as directional streaming in fluid flows and have been utilized in a wide range of microfluidic applications, so-called acoustofluidics. In particular, when the applied acoustic waves are transmitted through additional structures (e.g., gas pockets or solid membranes) to the fluid, the induced streaming flows are generated much stronger and more efficiently. These additional structures provide more control parameters related to their resonance behaviors. This talk presents two configurations of micro acoustofluidics: gas pocket and flexible membrane. Their resonance behaviors and streaming flow performances will be characterized with associated parameters, respectively. Then, the talk continues to present how obtained knowledge and understanding can be applied to a 3-D micro swimmer, dose controllable drug delivery unit, and gas exchange mechanism for an artificial lung.