Vortex-mode optofluidic manipulation based on hybrid photothermal waveguide

Photothermal manipulation has been proven as an effective strategy to trap and rotate mesoscopic particles, whose features are scales ranging from tens of nanometers to hundreds of micrometers. In particular, the extraordinary ability of highly-efficient non-contact photothermal manipulation based on fiber waveguide has stimulated a number of breakthroughs in lab-on-a-chip techniques and research endeavours. In this report, we have developed a new vortex-mode optofluidic technique for achieving controllable convection and multi-particle manipulation by photothermal waveguide. The optofludic vortex can trap and rotate mesoscopic particles in the vortex center due to strong confinement and torque. In addition, based on the convenience and the flexibility of fiber waveguide, multiple vortexes can be integrated on an vortex array in a small scale chip, which will enable simultaneously multiple experimental operations in an elaborate lab-on-a-chip system. As an optofluidic “workshop” with above advantages, the vortex-mode optofluidic system is expected to have good prospects in several frontier field of nanoscience.