Concentration-controlled particle focusing in spiral elasto-inertial microfluidic devices.

Abstract

Herein, we proposed a strategy for controlling the particle focusing position in Dean-coupled elasto-inertial flows via adjusting the polymer concentration of viscoelastic fluids. The physics behind the control strategy was then explored and discussed. At high polymer concentrations, the flowing particles could be single-line focused exactly at the channel centerline under the dominated elastic force. The center-line focusing in our spiral channel may employed as a potential pretreatment scheme for microflow cytometry detection. With further decreasing polymer concentrations, the particles would shift into the outer channel region under the comparable competition between inertial lift force, elastic force and Dean drag force. Finally, the observed position-shifting was successfully employed for particle concentration at a throughput much higher than most existing elasto-inertial microfluidics.