Motility-sorting of self-propelled particles in micro-channels

TL;DR

This paper investigates how self-propelled particles with different velocities spontaneously segregate in microchannels, revealing mechanisms influenced by particle speed, density, and flow, with potential applications in microfluidic sorting devices.

Contribution

It demonstrates the velocity-based segregation mechanism of run-and-tumble particles in microchannels through numerical simulations, including effects of flow and channel dimensions.

Findings

Fast particles expel slower ones from walls leading to segregation.

Segregation depends on particle velocities, density, and channel width.

External flow enhances segregation based on particle flux differences.

Abstract

Spontaneous segregation of run-and-tumble particles with different velocities in microchannels is investigated by numerical simulations. Self-propelled particles are known to accumulate in the proximity of walls. Here we show how fast particles expel slower ones from the wall leading to a segregated state. The mechanism is understood as a function of particle velocities, particle density, or channel width. In the presence of an external fluid flow, particles with two different velocities segregate due to their different particle fluxes. Promising applications can be found in the development of microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices for sorting of particles with different motilities.