Electrostatics overcome acoustic collapse to assemble, adapt, and activate levitated matter.

ABSTRACT: Acoustic levitation provides a unique method for manipulating small particles as it completely evades effects from gravity, container walls, or physical handling. These advantages make it a tantalizing platform for studying complex phenomena in many-particle systems. In most standing-wave traps, however, particles interact via acoustic scattering forces that cause them to merge into a single dense object. Here, we introduce a complementary approach that combines acoustic levitation with electrostatic charging to assemble, adapt, and activate complex, separated many-particle systems. The key idea is to superimpose electrostatic repulsion on the intrinsic acoustic attraction, rendering a so-called "mermaid" potential where interactions are attractive at short range and repulsive at long rang

SUBMITTER: Shi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12718382 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature