Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 10: Droplets, Wetting, and Microfluidics (joint session DY/CPP)

CPP 10.12: Talk

Monday, March 9, 2026, 18:00–18:15, ZEU/0118

3D Optofluidic Control Using Reconfigurable Thermal Barriers — •Falko Schmidt^1,2, Carlos David Gonzalez³, Marc Sulliger¹, Emilio Ruiz-Rena⁴, Raul A. Rica^3,5, Jaime Ortega-Arroyo¹, and Romain Quidant¹ — ¹Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8092, Switzerland — ²Peter Debye Insitute for Soft Matter Physics, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany — ³Universidad de Granada, Department of Applied Physics, Granada 18071, Spain — ⁴Department of Applied Physics II, University of Malaga, Malaga 29071, Spain — ⁵Universidad de Granada, Research Unit Modeling Nature (MNAT), Granada 18071, Spain

Optothermal manipulation enables precise control of small particles via optical and thermal forces, leveraging thermo-osmotic and convective flows for short- and long-range motion. We present a reconfigurable optofluidic method enabling diverse manipulations such as guiding, sorting, trapping, and separating particles. Using light absorption on plasmonic surfaces of gold nanorods, localized hot spots are generated, creating temperature-driven flows. A near-infrared laser spatially modulates temperature landscapes, monitored by 3D holographic microscopy and optical diffraction tomography. Single and double heat sources produce three-dimensional flow control. This creates an optofluidic barrier that redirects particles within a microfluidic chamber. This approach offers a versatile foundation for advancing microfluidic technologies, enabling applications in sorting, trapping, and adaptive system design.

Keywords: Optofluidics; Microfluidics; Particle Manipulation; Thermal Fields; Plasmonics