Ultrasound Makes Droplets Spin, Concentrating Particles in 3D

Karmactive Team

Scientists have made liquid droplets spin like mini tornadoes using ultrasound waves, forcing tiny particles to spiral to the center.

Photo Source: Turek (CC BY 2.0)

This "new physics" discovery pulls particles into a perfect helical path, concentrating them at a single point—even at the bottom of the droplet.

Photo Source: Juan De Vojnikov (CC BY-SA 4.0)

"It's a new physics we found. No one has ever found it," says Assistant Professor Yuyang Gu from Binghamton University.

Photo Source: Freerange Stock (CC0 1.0)

Unlike previous methods that only worked in 2D, this technique controls particles in all three dimensions, working for both microscopic and nanoscopic particles.

Photo Source: Martin Banov

How small can it go? The technique works for particles just 100 nanometers wide—so tiny that hundreds would fit across a single human hair.

Photo Source: Kevin Dooley (CC BY 2.0)

By adjusting the liquid's surface tension, droplet size, or ultrasound properties, researchers can sort particles by size at different speeds.

Photo Source: Anna Tarazevich

Larger particles (100 nanometers) concentrate first, while smaller particles remain scattered until the rotation speed increases.

Photo Source: PickPik

Why does this matter? The technique could revolutionize medical testing by concentrating disease markers from dilute samples, making them easier to detect.

Photo Source: Mark Shwartz (CC BY 2.5)

Four prestigious institutions collaborated: Binghamton University, North Carolina State University, Harvard Medical School, and Duke University.

Photo Source: Picryl (PDM 1.0)

What's next? Researchers plan to create arrays with 100 spinning droplets working simultaneously, dramatically boosting processing power for real-world applications.

Photo Source: PickPik

Next Story

NASA Finds 26 New Microbes in Sterile Cleanrooms