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Microfluidic Buffer Exchange for Interference-free Micro/Nanoparticle Cell Engineering

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Label-free microfluidic sorting of microparticles.

Jian Zhou¹, Prithviraj Mukherjee¹, Hua Gao¹

¹Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, USA.

APL Bioengineering

|December 14, 2019

Summary

This review overviews passive, label-free microfluidic separation techniques for microparticles. It highlights methods using Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows, including shear-induced diffusion for complex samples like whole blood.

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Area of Science:

Microfluidics
Biotechnology
Materials Science

Background:

Microfluidic systems are crucial for manipulating microparticles across various industries.
Passive, label-free methods offer simple, low-cost solutions for microparticle handling.
Continuous advancements necessitate updated overviews of separation technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide an updated review of passive, label-free microparticle separation techniques.
To emphasize performance and operational conditions of different microfluidic methods.
To explore emerging techniques for complex sample processing.

Main Methods:

Review of established microfluidic separation methods: deterministic lateral displacement, pinched flow fractionation, cross-flow filtration, hydrodynamic filtration, and inertial microfluidics.
Discussion of separation techniques utilizing non-Newtonian, viscoelastic flows.
Highlighting shear-induced diffusion for direct processing of complex samples.

Main Results:

Passive label-free microfluidics offers efficient microparticle manipulation.
Newtonian flow-based methods are widely adopted, with specific performance characteristics.
Non-Newtonian flow and shear-induced diffusion present advanced separation capabilities, including for whole blood.

Conclusions:

An improved understanding of label-free passive sorting is key for developing sophisticated microfluidic platforms.
These advancements can drive automation in industrial, environmental, and biomedical fields.
The review provides a comprehensive outlook on the state-of-the-art in microparticle separation.