Contactless continuous guidance of matter in its main states using curved elongated Bessel-like acoustic fields
- 1Electronics Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00710, Finland
- 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
- 3UpnaLab, Department of Statistics, Computer Science and Mathematics, Public University of Navarre, Pamplona 31006, Spain
Abstract
Acoustic manipulation uses sound waves to exert force on matter, enabling contactless movement, trapping, and the structuring of particles in bulk media. It offers a contamination-free approach for handling matter in applications spanning across chemistry, biology, and advanced manufacturing. However, state-of-the-art techniques, including acoustic holograms or phased arrays of transducers (PATs) are limited to transporting individual particles or small clusters one by one, and are not suitable for dispersed matter such as gases or aerosols. Here, we introduce a method for guiding a continuous flow of matter along reconfigurable three-dimensional trajectories using elongated Bessel-like acoustic fields (EBAFs). These fields generate converging radial acoustic forces along a programmable path, forming stable mid-air conduits that continuously transport matter. Compared to existing methods such as near-field acoustic levitation, acoustofluidic separation, particle manipulation with vortex and Airy beams, the proposed method offers enhanced versatility, scalability, and real-time control of transport trajectories in mid-air without requiring physical guiding structures. We developed methods to generate EBAFs with PATs tailored to different particle sizes and material properties, and experimentally demonstrated guidance of solids, liquids, aerosols, and gases along programmable trajectories. This technique enables containerless laboratory operations, precise and contamination-free reagent or energy delivery, and integration into advanced additive manufacturing processes that require controlled distribution of matter in different states to target zones.
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BibTeX
@article{nikolaev2026contactless,
title = {{Contactless continuous guidance of matter in its main states using curved elongated Bessel-like acoustic fields}},
author = {Dmitrii Nikolaev and Denys Iablonskyi and Alexander Martinez-Marchese and Marika Sirkka and Mikel Aldea and Chinedum Okwudire and Edward Hæggström and Asier Marzo and Ari Salmi},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2614959123},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2614959123},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Contactless continuous guidance of matter in its main states using curved elongated Bessel-like acoustic fields
AU - Dmitrii Nikolaev
AU - Denys Iablonskyi
AU - Alexander Martinez-Marchese
AU - Marika Sirkka
AU - Mikel Aldea
AU - Chinedum Okwudire
AU - Edward Hæggström
AU - Asier Marzo
AU - Ari Salmi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2614959123
UR - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2614959123
AB - Acoustic manipulation uses sound waves to exert force on matter, enabling contactless movement, trapping, and the structuring of particles in bulk media. It offers a contamination-free approach for handling matter in applications spanning across chemistry, biology, and advanced manufacturing. However, state-of-the-art techniques, including acoustic holograms or phased arrays of transducers (PATs) are limited to transporting individual particles or small clusters one by one, and are not suitable for dispersed matter such as gases or aerosols. Here, we introduce a method for guiding a continuous flow of matter along reconfigurable three-dimensional trajectories using elongated Bessel-like acoustic fields (EBAFs). These fields generate converging radial acoustic forces along a programmable path, forming stable mid-air conduits that continuously transport matter. Compared to existing methods such as near-field acoustic levitation, acoustofluidic separation, particle manipulation with vortex and Airy beams, the proposed method offers enhanced versatility, scalability, and real-time control of transport trajectories in mid-air without requiring physical guiding structures. We developed methods to generate EBAFs with PATs tailored to different particle sizes and material properties, and experimentally demonstrated guidance of solids, liquids, aerosols, and gases along programmable trajectories. This technique enables containerless laboratory operations, precise and contamination-free reagent or energy delivery, and integration into advanced additive manufacturing processes that require controlled distribution of matter in different states to target zones.
SN - 0027-8424
SN - 1091-6490
ER -