Droplets merging through wireless ultrasonic actuation

• Droplet merging.
• Wireless ultrasonic actuation.
• Piezoelectric effect.
• Electromagnetic resonance.

A new technique of droplets merging through wireless ultrasonic actuation has been proposed and experimentally investigated in this work. The proposed method is based on the principle of resonant inductive coupling and piezoelectric resonance. When a mechanical vibration is excited in a piezoelectric plate, the ultrasonic vibration transmitted to the droplets placed on its surface and induces merging. It has been observed that the merging rate of water droplets depends on the operating frequency, mechanical vibration of piezoelectric plate, separation distance between the droplets, and volume of droplets. The investigated technique of droplets merging through piezoelectric actuation is quite useful for microfluidics, chemical and biomedical engineering applications.