A microfluidic device to sort capsules by deformability: a numerical study

Guided by extensive numerical simulations, we propose a microfluidic device that can sort elastic capsules by their deformability. The device consists of a duct embedded with a semi-cylindrical obstacle, and a diffuser which further enhances the sorting capability. We demonstrate that the device can...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Soft matter 2014-01, Vol.10 (39), p.7705-7711
Main Authors: Zhu, Lailai, Rorai, Cecilia, Dhrubaditya Mitra, Brandt, Luca
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Capsules
Cross sections
Devices
Diffusers
Elastic deformation
Formability
Microfluidic Analytical Techniques - methods
Microfluidics
Models, Theoretical
Obstacles
Sorting
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Summary:Guided by extensive numerical simulations, we propose a microfluidic device that can sort elastic capsules by their deformability. The device consists of a duct embedded with a semi-cylindrical obstacle, and a diffuser which further enhances the sorting capability. We demonstrate that the device can operate reasonably well under changes in the initial position of the capsule. The efficiency of the device remains essentially unaltered under small changes of the obstacle shape (from semi-circular to semi-elliptic cross-section). Confinement along the direction perpendicular to the plane of the device increases its efficiency. This work is the first numerical study of cell sorting by a realistic microfluidic device.
ISSN:1744-683X
1744-6848
1744-6848
DOI:10.1039/c4sm01097c