Microfabrication and Acoustofluidic Device Engineering

Focus: Designing, simulating, and fabricating micro- and nanoscale systems for acoustic and fluidic manipulation.

Description:
Our research integrates numerical modeling, microfabrication, and experimental validation to engineer acoustofluidic systems that enable precise control of particles, droplets, and cells within complex flow environments. Using finite element simulations (COMSOL Multiphysics), we predict and optimize acoustic pressure fields, particle trajectories, and flow distributions before device fabrication—reducing prototyping time and improving device performance.

Fabrication strategies span deep reactive ion etching (DRIE), soft lithography, and 3D microprinting, enabling microsystems with optimized field distributions, reduced streaming, and high-aspect-ratio features for robust and reproducible operation. These technologies provide the physical foundation for a range of downstream biological and analytical applications.

Selected publications:

• M. S. Gerlt*, N. F. Läubli*, M. Manser, B. J. Nelson, J. Dual (authors contributed equally), “Reduced Etch Lag and High Aspect Ratios by Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE)”, Micromachines 12, 542 (2021). 

• M. S. Gerlt, A. Paeckl, A. Pavlic, P. Rohner, D. Pulikakos, J. Dual, “Focusing of Micrometer-Sized Metal Particles Enabled by Reduced Acoustic Streaming via Acoustic Forces in a Round Glass Capillary”, Physical Review Applied17, 014043 (2022). 

• M. S. Gerlt, E. Meier, F. Dingfelder, D. Zürcher, M. Müller, P. Arosio, “Microfluidic Stress Device to Decouple the Synergistic Effect of Shear and Interfaces on Antibody Aggregation”, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 8, 2161–2169 (2024).