Dielectrophoretic microfluidic device for separation of red blood cells and platelets: a model-based study

Abstract

The paper proposes a dielectrophoresis microfluidic chip for particle separation, which uses dielectric properties to perform size-based fractionation of red blood cells and platelets. Based on the control variables, the distribution of the electric field in the chip and the trajectory of the particles in the microfluidic channel are calculated using COMSOL Multiphysics under different electrode shapes, voltages and chip exit structures. Both red blood cells and platelets respond to negative dielectrophoresis at an alternating current signal with a frequency of 100 kHz. The larger red blood cells are subjected to a stronger dielectrophoretic force than the platelets and are biased toward the right outlet, and the platelets flow out from the left outlet under the combined action of fluid force and dielectrophoretic force to achieve the purpose of separation. On this basis, through quantitative comparison and analysis, a more optimized microfluidic chip capable of effectively separating particles is finally selected.