Abstract
We present a simple modification to enhance the separation ability of deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) systems by expanding the two-dimensional nature of these devices and driving the particles into size-dependent, fully three-dimensional trajectories. Specifically, we drive the particles through an array of long cylindrical posts, such that they not only move parallel to the basal plane of the posts as in traditional two-dimensional DLD systems (in-plane motion), but also along the axial direction of the solid posts (out-of-plane motion). We show that the (projected) in-plane motion of the particles is completely analogous to that observed in 2D-DLD systems. In fact, a theoretical model originally developed for force-driven, two-dimensional DLD systems accurately describes the experimental results. More importantly, we analyze the particles out-of-plane motion and observe, for certain orientations of the driving force, significant differences in the out-of-plane displacement depending on particle size. Therefore, taking advantage of both the in-plane and out-of-plane motion of the particles, it is possible to achieve the simultaneous fractionation of a polydisperse suspension into multiple streams.
Highlights
We present a simple modification to enhance the separation ability of deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) systems by expanding the two-dimensional nature of these devices and driving the particles into size-dependent, fully three-dimensional trajectories
We presented a straightforward approach to enhance separation in DLD systems, based on extending the traditionally 2D method into the third dimension by using an array of long cylindrical posts
We demonstrated that when projected onto the basal plane of the array, the particles in-plane migration patterns are analogous to those present in the force-driven 2D-DLD case
Summary
We present a simple modification to enhance the separation ability of deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) systems by expanding the two-dimensional nature of these devices and driving the particles into size-dependent, fully three-dimensional trajectories. We drive the particles through an array of long cylindrical posts, such that they move parallel to the basal plane of the posts as in traditional two-dimensional DLD systems (in-plane motion), and along the axial direction of the solid posts (out-of-plane motion). Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) is a popular separation method in microfluidics that can effectively fractionate a polydisperse suspension of particles by driving it through a periodic array of obstacles[1]. We propose a three-dimensional (3D) extension of DLD systems that inherently overcomes the limitation of binary fractionation by taking advantage of the out-of-plane motion of the suspended particles. Analogous to the 2D-DLD case, the fact that particles of different size transition from locked mode to zigzag mode at different orientations of the driving force is the basis for their in-plane separation. We demonstrate the simultaneous separation of particles of three different sizes in the proposed 3D-DLD system
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