Continuous and size-dependent sorting of emulsion droplets using hydrodynamics in pinched microchannels
In this report, a microfluidic system is presented for continuous and size-dependent separation of droplets utilizing microscale hydrodynamics. The separation scheme is based on laminar-flow focusing and spreading in a pinched microchannel, referred to as "pinched flow fractionation (PFF)"...
Veröffentlicht in: | Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids. - 1992. - 24(2008), 8 vom: 15. Apr., Seite 4405-10 |
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Weitere Verfasser: | , , |
Format: | Online-Aufsatz |
Sprache: | English |
Veröffentlicht: |
2008
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Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk: | Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids |
Schlagworte: | Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Emulsions Water 059QF0KO0R |
Zusammenfassung: | In this report, a microfluidic system is presented for continuous and size-dependent separation of droplets utilizing microscale hydrodynamics. The separation scheme is based on laminar-flow focusing and spreading in a pinched microchannel, referred to as "pinched flow fractionation (PFF)", which was previously developed for the size-dependent separation of solid particles, such as polymer microparticles or cells. By simply introducing emulsion and the continuous phase into a microchannel, continuous separation could be achieved without using complicated operations or devices. We first examined whether this scheme could be applied for droplets, by using a pinched microchannel with one outlet, and observed the behaviors of monodisperse droplets generated at the upstream T-junction. Analysis via high-speed imaging revealed that the length of the pinched segment is critical for precise separation of droplets. Then, separation of a polydisperse oil-in-water emulsion that was prepared previously was demonstrated using a microfluidic device equipped with multiple outlets. These results showed the ability of the presented system to sort or select specific-sized droplets easily and accurately, which would be difficult to achieve using normal-scale schemes, such as centrifugation or filtration |
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Beschreibung: | Date Completed 05.05.2008 Date Revised 21.11.2013 published: Print-Electronic Citation Status MEDLINE |
ISSN: | 1520-5827 |
DOI: | 10.1021/la703581j |