Continuous inertial focusing, ordering, and separation of particles in microchannels

Shriners Hospitals for Children - Erie · Harvard University · +2 more institutions

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Abstract

Under laminar flow conditions, when no external forces are applied, particles are generally thought to follow fluid streamlines. Contrary to this perspective, we observe that flowing particles migrate across streamlines in a continuous, predictable, and accurate manner in microchannels experiencing laminar flows. The migration is attributed to lift forces on particles that are observed when inertial aspects of the flow become significant. We identified symmetric and asymmetric channel geometries that provide additional inertial forces that bias particular equilibrium positions to create continuous streams of ordered particles precisely positioned in three spatial dimensions. We were able to order particles…

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