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Effect of Temperature and Flow Rate on the Cell-Free Area in the Microfluidic Channel
Angeles Ivón Rodríguez-Villarreal1, Manuel Carmona-Flores1, Jordi Colomer-Farrarons1
1Department of Electronics and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Physics, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Membranes
|February 6, 2021
Summary
Increasing temperature and flow rate significantly widens the cell-free area (CFA) in microfluidic devices. This finding is crucial for optimizing red blood cell (RBC) separation and analysis in microfluidic systems.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Microfluidics
- Cellular Mechanics
Background:
- Microfluidic devices enable precise manipulation of biological particles like red blood cells (RBCs).
- Understanding cell behavior in microflows is essential for developing advanced diagnostic and separation techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the widening of the cell-free area (CFA) in microfluidic channels.
- To determine the effects of temperature and flow rate on red blood cell (RBC) behavior and CFA formation.
Main Methods:
- Experimental analysis of human red blood cell (RBC) flow at 20% concentration in autologous plasma and PBS.
- Utilizing a microfluidic device with varying flow rates (10–230 μL/min) and temperatures (23–50 °C).
Main Results:
- Cell flow inertia causes a significant increase in the cell-free area (CFA) near channel walls after constriction.
- Temperature increases widened the CFA up to three times.
- Flow rate increases expanded the CFA up to 20 times in PBS and 11 times in plasma.
Conclusions:
- Both temperature and flow rate are critical parameters influencing CFA widening in microfluidic RBC flow.
- The observed CFA widening enhances possibilities for cell separation and downstream analysis in microfluidic applications.
