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Deterministic Lateral Displacement Using Hexagonally Arranged, Bottom-Up-Inspired Micropost Arrays
Talha M Razaulla1, Olivia M Young2, Abdullah Alsharhan2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, 1495 E 100 S, 1550 MEK, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.
Analytical Chemistry
|January 18, 2022
Summary
This study introduces a novel hexagonally arranged triangle (HAT) geometry for deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) microfluidic devices. The HAT geometry, fabricated via self-assembly, shows enhanced particle sorting capabilities, paving the way for low-cost nanoscale DLD arrays.
Area of Science:
- Microfluidics
- Nanotechnology
- Particle Separation
Background:
- Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) is a microfluidic technique for size-based particle separation using post arrays.
- Existing DLD arrays primarily use parallelogram or rotated-square geometries with limited post arrangements.
- Current fabrication methods for DLD arrays can be complex and costly, especially for nanoscale applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and characterize a new DLD array geometry, the hexagonally arranged triangle (HAT) geometry.
- To investigate the particle separation properties of the HAT geometry using finite element simulations.
- To explore the potential of self-assembly for fabricating nanoscale DLD arrays.
Main Methods:
- Utilized finite element simulations to analyze the DLD separation characteristics of the HAT geometry.
- Derived mathematical relationships between array angle, gap spacing, and critical diameter for the HAT geometry.
- Conducted experimental validation to confirm the particle separation performance of the HAT array.
Main Results:
- The HAT geometry demonstrates a derived mathematical relationship for separation properties, similar to conventional DLD arrays.
- At array angles below 7°, HAT structures exhibit superior particle sorting capability (smaller critical diameter-to-gap spacing ratio) compared to parallelogram arrays.
- Experimental results confirmed the effective particle separation ability of the novel HAT array geometry.
Conclusions:
- The hexagonally arranged triangle (HAT) geometry offers a promising new design for deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) in microfluidic particle separation.
- The HAT geometry shows enhanced sorting efficiency, particularly at small array angles, compared to existing designs.
- This work represents a significant step towards realizing low-cost, bottom-up fabrication of nanoscale DLD arrays through self-assembly.
