Design of a Magnetostrictive Bimorph for Micromanipulation

Abstract

Micromanipulation within a lab-on-achip (LOC) device enables precise manipulation of cells, paving the way to diverse biomedical applications. In this research, the design of a magnetostrictive microactuator for micromanipulation is presented. The proposed microactuator is a cantilever-type bimorph consisting of a Poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) layer between a Terfenol-D and Samfenol-D layer, which have high magnetostrictive properties, and a Silicon probe tip at the free end. The microactuator characteristics were evaluated through numerical simulations. The designed microactuator can operate under frequencies up to 146.12 kHz. The sensitivity range of the microactuator is 77.6-11323.6 nm/T, while it can exert pressures up to 15.55 MPa for magnetic fields from up to 800 kA/m, demonstrating that it is capable of micromanipulation of cells in LOC devices.