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Fractionation by shape in deterministic lateral displacement microfluidic devices

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Abstract

We investigate the migration of particles of different geometrical shapes and sizes in a scaled-up model of a gravity-driven deterministic lateral displacement (g-DLD) device. Specifically, particles move through a square array of cylindrical posts as they settle in a quiescent fluid under the action of gravity. We performed experiments that cover a broad range of orientations of the driving force (gravity) with respect to the columns (or rows) in the square array of posts. We observe that as the forcing angle increases, particles initially locked to move parallel to the columns in the array begin to move across the columns of obstacles and migrate at angles different from zero. We measure the probability that a particle would move across a column of obstacles, and define the critical angle θ c as the forcing angle at which this probability is 1/2. We show that critical angle depends on both particle size and shape, thus enabling both size- and shape-based separations. Finally, we show that using the diameter of the inscribed sphere as the characteristic size of the particles, the corresponding critical angle becomes independent of particle shape and the relationship between them is linear. This linear and possibly universal behavior of the critical angle as a function of the diameter of the inscribed sphere of the particles could provide guidance in the design and optimization of g-DLD devices used for shape-based separation.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation Grant No. CBET-1339087.

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  1. Mingliang Jiang

    Present address: Mechanical Engineering Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Mingliang Jiang, Kostyantyn Budzan & German Drazer

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  1. Mingliang Jiang
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  2. Kostyantyn Budzan
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Correspondence to German Drazer.

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Jiang, M., Budzan, K. & Drazer, G. Fractionation by shape in deterministic lateral displacement microfluidic devices. Microfluid Nanofluid 19, 427–434 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-015-1572-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-015-1572-6

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