Insights into a deterministic lateral displacement sorting chip with new cross-section micropillars

Microfluidic technology has great advantages in the precise manipulation of micro and nanoparticles, and the separation method based on deterministic lateral displacement separation technology has attracted much attention due to its high resolution, high throughput, and strong size dependence. In this paper, starting from the principle of deterministic lateral displacement sorting and taking control of the flow velocity distribution and pressure difference in the gap as the key points, a new shape of inverted heart-shaped micro-columns with a smaller critical size was designed to separate white blood cells and red blood cells. Under the premise of considering the two-way coupling, the trajectory of the particles was simulated, the critical size of the array was determined, and the influence of the flow velocity particle sorting was discussed. Finally, the separation process of the two kinds of cells was simulated, and the separation of the two kinds of cells was successfully realized. This work has laid a certain theoretical foundation for the rapid diagnosis of diseases in practical applications.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.