Analysis and Simulation of Blood Cells Separation in a Polymeric Serpentine Microchannel under Dielectrophoresis Effect

Abstract

The current work presents a novel microfluidic approach, allowing a full separation of blood cells. The approach relies on using a polydimethylsiloxane serpentine microchannel equipped with a series of electrodes, providing two separation zones. The proposed design exploits the unique configuration of the channel along with the inherent difference in dielectric properties of the three kinds of blood cells to achieve a size-based sorting. The platelets (PLTs) are subjected to a larger dielectrophoretic force than red blood cells (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs), forcing them to be separated in the first zone. This leaves RBCs and WBCs to be separated in the second zone. The model developed in this work has been used intensively to examine the feasibility of the proposed approach. The model results showed a full separation of blood content can be achieved over a range of phase flow rates and AC frequencies.