A theoretical analysis of the resolution due to diffusion and size-dispersion of particles.pdfVIP

a r X i v : 0 7 1 1 .0 3 4 7 v 1 [ p h y s i c s .f l u - d y n ] 2 N o v 2 0 0 7 A theoretical analysis of the resolution due to diffusion and size-dispersion of particles in deterministic lateral displacement devices Martin Heller? and Henrik Bruus? MIC – Department of Micro and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark DTU Building 345 East, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark (Dated: 2 November 2007) We present a model including diffusion and particle-size dispersion for separation of particles in deterministic lateral displacement devices also known as bumper arrays. We determine the upper critical diameter for diffusion-dominated motion and the lower critical diameter for pure convection-induced displacement. Our model explains the systematic deviation, observed for small particles in several experiments, from the critical diameter for separation given by simple laminar flow considerations. I. INTRODUCTION In 2004 Huang et al. [1] developed the elegant method of particle separation by deterministic lateral displace- ment in so-called microfluidic bumper arrays. The method, which relies on the laminar flow properties char- acteristic of microfluidcs, shows a great potential for fast and accurate separation of particles on the micrometer scale [1, 2, 3, 4]. Among the key assets of the determin- istic lateral displacement separation principle are that clogging can be avoided because particles much smaller than the feature size of the devices can be separated, that the devices are passive, i.e. the particles bump into solid obstacles or bumpers, and that the separation process is continuous. More precisely, particle transport in microfluidic bumper arrays is primarily governed by convection due to the fluid flow and displacement due to interaction with the bumpers in the array [1]. These processes are deter- ministic and the critical diameter for separation of rela- tively large particles in these devices is well understood in terms of the width of flow