Enhanced effective diffusion in sub-wavelength, axon-scale microchannels using surface acoustic waves

Excitation using surface acoustic waves (SAW) has demonstrated efficacy in improving microscale particle/chemical transport due to its ability to generate microscale wavelengths. However, the effects of acoustic stimulation on transport processes along the length of sub-wavelength microchannels and their underlying mechanisms, essential for long-range transport, have not been examined in detail. In this work, we investigate diffusion along the length of subwavelength microchannels using experimental and simulation approaches, demonstrating enhanced transport under SAW excitation. The microchannel-based enhanced diffusion mechanisms are further studied by investigating the acoustic pressure and streaming fields, finding that the degree of enhancement is a function of applied power, microchannel dimensions, and viscosity. This microchannel-based diffusion enhancement approach is applicable to microfluidic and biomedical microscale transport enhancement, with the findings here being relevant to acoustic-based micro-mixing and neurodegenerative therapies.