Piezoelectric Actuated Stirrer for Solid Drug Powder-Liquid Mixing

This paper introduces a piezoelectric actuated stirrer-based active mixer for solid powder-liquid mixing at a macroscopic scale. The input excitation voltage and bending vibration mode frequency of a piezoelectric patch controls the stirrer’s movement. The stirrer vibrates accordingly and exchanges vibration energy into the test fluid consisting of solid powder-liquid. Mixing happens due to intense fluid circulation and dispersion of solid particles in all directions. The experimentation was conducted at the input excitation voltage of 50–150 V P-P , at a frequency 9.05–165.80 Hz, and the beam’s insertion height in the test fluid at 5–20 mm. The proposed mixer utilizes the first, second, and third bending mode vibration frequencies and mixes three different properties dyes discretely in aqueous and alcoholic solvents namely DI (deionized) water and ethanol. Mixing execution relies upon variation in the mixed solution’s concentration, and a UV-Visible spectrophotometer measures the absorbance of mixture. The detailed study outcomes recommend using third bending mode vibration frequency, 150 V P-P , and at a 5 mm insertion depth of the stirrer in test fluid, powerful mixing occurs. It is about three-fold more than the mixture obtained in the first mode for same conditions.