Separation of blood cells and plasma in microchannel bend structures

Biological applications of micro assay devices require easy implementable on-chip microfluidics for separation of plasma or serum from blood. This is achieved by a new blood separation technique based on a microchannel bend structure developed within the collaborative Micro-Tele-BioChip (muTBC) project. Different prototype polymer chips have been manufactured with an LTV-LIGA process and hot embossing technology. The separation mechanisms have been identified and the separation efficiency of these chips has been determined by experimental measurements using human blood samples. Results show different separation efficiencies for cells and plasma up to 100 % depending on microchannel geometry, hematocrit, and feed velocity. This novel technique leads to an alternative blood separation method as compared to existing micro separation technologies.