Universal correlation for the critical diameter of deterministic lateral displacement devices with polygonal posts

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics
• Biotechnology
• Particle Separation

Background:

• Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) is a microfluidic technique for particle separation based on size.
• The critical diameter for separation in DLD arrays is influenced by post geometry, gap, and row shift.
• Polygonal post shapes in DLD arrays require precise geometric parameter understanding for optimal performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the functional dependence of the critical diameter on geometric parameters in DLD arrays with polygonal posts.
• To develop a universal correlation for predicting the critical diameter of DLD arrays with arbitrary polygonal post shapes.
• To validate the derived correlation through experimental data and comparison with existing literature.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations of fluid flow through DLD devices with varying geometric parameters.
• Development of a predictive correlation for critical diameter based on simulation data.
• Experimental validation using a microfluidic setup with an integrated droplet generator to test DLD arrays.

Main Results:

• A novel correlation was derived to predict the critical diameter of DLD arrays with polygonal posts.
• Simulation-based predictions showed good agreement with experimental measurements.
• The developed correlation accurately estimates critical diameter for DLD devices with diverse polygonal post designs.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a universal correlation for optimizing the design of DLD devices with polygonal posts.
• This correlation facilitates the precise prediction and control of particle separation in microfluidic applications.
• The findings contribute to the advancement of microfluidic particle separation technologies.