Patent ID: 8393356

Claim:
A device for controlling fluid motion in a micro/nanofluidic structure of channels, the device comprising: a structured volume of material, bearing a predetermined configuration of micro/nanofluidic channels for holding and transferring amounts of fluids, said channels adapted to define at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, and a substrate made of material with piezoelectric properties, said substrate coupled to said configuration of micro/nanofluidic channels, bearing means for active control of the motion of an amount of fluid including transducer means, said transducer means comprising at least one pair of interdigitated electrodes applied on said substrate, said electrodes arranged to selectively generate a surface acoustic wave adapted to propagate on the substrate and interact with said amount of fluid; wherein the device is further characterised in that the channels are hydrophobic for the fluids to be controlled, and in that said transducer means are arranged in proximity to a fluid outlet of said configuration of channels in such a manner to generate a surface acoustic wave propagating from the fluid outlet to a fluid inlet of the configuration, whereby the motion of said amount of fluid is induced towards the direction opposite to the surface acoustic wave propagation direction, due to the interaction between the surface acoustic wave and the meniscus of the non-wetting fluid facing said surface acoustic wave.