Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, dei Materiali e della Produzione Industriale, Università di Napoli Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600 MB, The Netherlands.
Phys Rev E. 2017 Nov;96(5-1):053103. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.96.053103. Epub 2017 Nov 6.
We propose a square cross-section microfluidic channel with an orthogonal side branch (asymmetric T-shaped bifurcation) for the separation of elastic capsules and soft beads suspended in a Newtonian liquid on the basis of their mechanical properties. The design is performed through three-dimensional direct numerical simulations. When suspended objects start near the inflow channel centerline and the carrier fluid is equally partitioned between the two outflow branches, particle separation can be achieved based on their deformability, with the stiffer ones going "straight" and the softer ones being deviated to the "side" branch. The effects of the geometrical and physical parameters of the system on the phenomenon are investigated. Since cell deformability can be significantly modified by pathology, we give a proof of concept on the possibility of separating diseased cells from healthy ones, thus leading to illness diagnosis.
我们提出了一种方形横截面微流道，带有正交侧分支（非对称 T 形分支），用于基于弹性胶囊和悬浮在牛顿液体中的软珠的机械性能对其进行分离。设计是通过三维直接数值模拟进行的。当悬浮物体开始靠近入口通道中心线，并且载液在两个流出分支之间等分分配时，可以根据它们的可变形性实现颗粒分离，其中较硬的物体“直走”，而较软的物体则偏向“侧”分支。研究了系统的几何和物理参数对该现象的影响。由于细胞的可变形性可能会因病理而显著改变，因此我们提出了一种从健康细胞中分离病变细胞的概念验证，从而实现疾病诊断。
