Acoustic bubble in acoustofluidics: A versatile tool for biomedical applications

With the development of microfluidics, micro- and nanoscale bubbles have been considered an emerging tool and have become a field of growing interest for addressing challenges in biomedical applications. When acoustic fields interact with bubbles in microfluidics, they induce unique physical phenomena, which offer promising capabilities in the manipulation of cells, particles, and fluids. This presentation will highlight the versatility and innovative use of acoustic bubbles in biomedical applications. The versatile functions of acoustic bubbles will be discussed through three key areas in the biomedical field: fluid transportation, cell manipulation, and biomaterials fabrication. Specifically, we will begin by introducing how acoustic bubbles enable fluid transportation through controllable pumping, mixing, and filtering in microfluidic systems. Next, we will demonstrate how acoustic bubbles facilitate cell manipulation, including enhancing ultrasound thrombolysis and engineering tumor spheroids. Lastly, we will discuss how acoustic bubbles can be applied to create tunable porous biomaterials for tissue engineering.