However, to achieve this, the influence of secondary forces needs to be carefully studied, as inter-particle attraction is highly undesirable. Here, we study the effect of particle size and material properties on both the primary and secondary acoustic forces as the particle diameter is increased towards the wavelength of the 1-dimensional axisymmetric ultrasonic field. We show that the resonance frequencies of the solid sphere have an important role in the resulting secondary forces which leads to a narrow band of frequencies that allow the patterning of large particles in a 1-D array. Knowledge regarding the naturally existent secondary forces would allow for system designs enabling single cell studies to be conducted in a biologically safe manner.

An intermolecular force (IMF) (or secondary force) is the force that mediates interaction between molecules, including the electromagnetic forces of attraction or repulsion which act between atoms and other types of neighbouring particles, e.g. atoms or ions.