Enhanced Particle Trap: Design and Simulation of Pillar-Based Contactless Dielectrophoresis Microfluidic Devices

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Cell Separation Technologies

Background:

• Contactless and conventional dielectrophoresis (DEP) are vital for lab-on-a-chip cell isolation and analysis.
• Current DEP devices face limitations in throughput and require high voltages, hindering practical applications.
• Optimizing microfluidic device design is crucial for efficient cell manipulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To numerically investigate the impact of micro-pillar geometries on THP-1 cell trapping efficiency.
• To analyze the influence of pillar gap and quantity on cell trapping in contactless DEP devices.
• To enhance cell isolation and separation capabilities for high-throughput microfluidic applications.

Main Methods:

• Finite Element Method (FEM) modeling was employed to simulate cell trapping efficiency.
• Diverse micro-pillar geometries, including elliptical and circular shapes, were evaluated.
• The effect of varying pillar gaps and quantities on trapping performance was systematically examined.

Main Results:

• Elliptical pillars significantly outperformed other geometries, achieving nearly 100% cell trapping efficiency at high flow rates.
• The elliptical pillar configuration demonstrated a 122% increase in cell trapping efficiency compared to circular pillars at maximum flow rates.
• Reducing the gap between pillars, particularly with two rows of elliptical pillars at a 40-µm gap, optimized trapping efficiency.

Conclusions:

• Micro-pillar geometry is a critical factor for enhancing performance in contactless DEP microfluidic devices.
• Elliptical pillars offer a promising solution for high-throughput cell separation, isolation, and trapping.
• The findings provide valuable design guidelines for developing advanced microfluidic cell manipulation systems.