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A self-converging atomized mist spray device using surface acoustic wave

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Abstract

We developed a surface acoustic wave (SAW) atomizer, which can produce a narrow mist spray of submillimeter width. The atomized mist spray converges spontaneously and thus requires no additional spray converging system. Key features in achieving the self-converging atomization are two-port interdigital transducers (IDTs) with a groove in between. The SAW is driven by applying an electric field on IDTs patterned on a piezoelectric substrate. The two-port IDTs drive SAWs in opposite directions toward the groove, which then separates the SAW-driven streaming on each side of the groove. Two types of self-converging atomizer were experimentally demonstrated, a line and a point atomizer. While the former uses parallel IDTs to atomize water from the groove into a thin-planar-shaped spray, the latter uses arc-shaped SAW lenses to focus the SAW into a certain point in the groove to atomize water into a narrow point spray. In addition, by adding a water reservoir, continuous operation of up to 30 s was achieved with the submillimeter narrow point atomizer.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by KAKENHI, the Creative Scientific Research Program (No. 18GS0203: Study on nano-energy system creation).

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Author notes

  1. Yuichiro Hamate

    Present address: Nobby Tech. Ltd, 1-18-18 Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nanomechanics, Tohoku University, 6-6-01 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba, Sendai, Japan

    Atsushi Yabe, Yuichiro Hamate, Motoaki Hara, Hiroyuki Oguchi, Sumito Nagasawa & Hiroki Kuwano

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  1. Atsushi Yabe
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  2. Yuichiro Hamate
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  3. Motoaki Hara
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  4. Hiroyuki Oguchi
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  5. Sumito Nagasawa
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  6. Hiroki Kuwano
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Correspondence to Yuichiro Hamate.

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Yabe, A., Hamate, Y., Hara, M. et al. A self-converging atomized mist spray device using surface acoustic wave. Microfluid Nanofluid 17, 701–710 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-014-1358-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-014-1358-2

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