Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026
10:13
A Microfluidic-based Hydrodynamic Trap for Single Particles
Published on: January 21, 2011
17.2K
Particle focusing by 3D inertial microfluidics.
Petra Paiè1, Francesca Bragheri1, Dino Di Carlo2
1Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie (IFN)-CNR and Dipartimento di Fisica-Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Microsystems & Nanoengineering
|May 7, 2019
Summary
This study introduces a compact microfluidic device for efficient 3D particle focusing using inertial effects in simple channels. The design enables high-throughput applications like flow cytometry without complex setups.
Area of Science:
- Microfluidics
- Biotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Three-dimensional (3D) particle focusing is crucial for applications like on-chip flow cytometry.
- Current methods often require complex device layouts, additional fluids, and intricate pumping systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a compact microfluidic device for efficient 3D particle focusing.
- To achieve high-throughput particle manipulation without external fields or sheath flows.
Main Methods:
- Utilized inertial fluidic effects (lift and Dean drag forces) in a single-inlet, single-outlet channel system.
- Fabricated the device using femtosecond laser irradiation and chemical etching in fused silica.
- Employed tightly curving 3D microfluidic loops to generate strong Dean drag and asymmetric flow decay.
Main Results:
- Achieved 3D particle focusing at high flow rates with a small device footprint.
- Demonstrated rapid cross-sectional mixing flows that enhance particle focusing.
- Enabled compact parallelization of multiple focusing channels for processing large sample volumes.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic device offers a simplified and effective approach for 3D particle focusing.
- Its design is compatible with vacuum-driven flows and suitable for high-throughput on-chip flow cytometry.
Related Concept Videos
01:03Inertial Frames of Reference
8.7K
Newton’s first law is usually considered to be a statement about reference frames. It provides a method for identifying a special type of reference frame: the inertial reference frame. In principle, we can make the net force on a body zero. If its velocity relative to a given frame is constant, then that frame is said to be inertial. So, by definition, an inertial reference frame is a reference frame where Newton's first law holds valid. Newton's first law applies to objects with...
8.7K
01:27Non-inertial Frames of Reference
7.1K
A reference frame accelerating or decelerating relative to an inertial frame is a non-inertial frame. To help understand this, consider what taking off in an airplane, turning a corner in a car, riding a merry-go-round, and the circular motion of a tropical cyclone all have in common. All these systems are accelerating, decelerating, or rotating relative to the Earth; hence, they all are non-inertial frames. All these systems exhibit inertial forces, which merely seem to arise from motion,...
7.1K
03:37Subatomic Particles
112.6K
Dalton was only partially correct about the particles that make up matter. All matter is composed of atoms, and atoms are composed of three smaller subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. These three particles account for the mass and the charge of an atom.
112.6K
02:10The Nucleosome Core Particle
14.1K
Nucleosomes are the DNA-histone complex, where the DNA strand is wound around the histone core. The histone core is an octamer containing two copies of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 histone proteins.
The paradox
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their main responsibility is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. While on the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access DNA...
The paradox
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their main responsibility is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. While on the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access DNA...
14.1K
01:12The Nucleosome Core Particle
2.3K
Nucleosomes are the DNA-histone complex, where the DNA strand is wound around the histone core. The histone core is an octamer containing two copies of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 histone proteins.
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their primary aim is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. On the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access histone-bound DNA during...
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their primary aim is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. On the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access histone-bound DNA during...
2.3K
01:16Focusing of Light in the Eye
5.6K
Light rays enter the eye through the cornea, a transparent dome-shaped tissue that is the eye's outermost layer. The cornea bends or refracts, light rays traveling to the pupil. The shape of the cornea determines how much of the light is bent and whether the image will be focused correctly on the retina at the back of the eye. Once the light has passed through both refraction layers, it converges into a single focal point onto a small area. This is where photoreceptors start transforming...
5.6K