Nanoparticle Focusing via Acoustofluidics for Characterizing Low-Concentration Viral Particles.*

This presentation introduces a combined method of nanoparticle manipulation and characterization using acoustofluidics and Raman spectroscopy. Due to its non-intrusive nature and absence of labeling requirements, Raman spectroscopy is extensively used to analyze biological entities such as cells and bacteria. However, when dealing with viral particles within the diameter range of 50 nm to 400 nm, Raman spectroscopy requires higher concentrations due to the small volume of these particles. We employed a 2D acoustofluidic device to overcome this limitation to locally enhance the concentrations of nanoparticles. We successfully improved the detection limit for low concentrations by three orders of magnitude by integrating Raman spectroscopy with an acoustic microfluidic device. In this presentation, we will also demonstrate the practical application of this system by successfully measuring Raman spectroscopy from low-concentration Ebola viral particles. Our work presents a real time monitoring approach for characterizing nano- and bio-particles, shedding light on microfluidics for drug transportation, biosensing, pharmaceutical production, environmental surveillance, and Process Analytical Technology (PAT).