Centrifugal deterministic lateral displacement separation system

TL;DR

This study explores a centrifuge-driven deterministic lateral displacement device for separating particles by size, demonstrating effective resolution depending on forcing angles and particle concentration, with potential applications in particle sorting.

Contribution

The paper introduces a scaled-up c-DLD system and analyzes how forcing angle and particle concentration affect separation resolution, providing new insights into particle sorting efficiency.

Findings

Optimal separation at intermediate forcing angles.

Reduced particle concentration improves resolution.

Large particles are locked at small migration angles.

Abstract

This work investigates the migration of spherical particles of different sizes in a centrifuge-driven deterministic lateral displacement (c-DLD) device. Specifically, we use a scaled-up model to study the motion of suspended particles through a square array of cylindrical posts under the action of centrifugation. Experiments show that separation of particles by size is possible depending on the orientation of the driving acceleration with respect to the array of posts (forcing angle). We focus on the fractionation of binary suspensions and measure the separation resolution at the outlet of the device for different forcing angles. We found excellent resolution at intermediate forcing angles, when large particles are locked to move at small migration angles but smaller particles follow the forcing angle more closely. Finally, we show that reducing the initial concentration (number) of particles, approaching the dilute limit of single particles, leads to increased resolution in the separation.