Fractionation of Magnetic Microspheres in a Microfluidic Spiral: Interplay between Magnetic and Hydrodynamic Forces

PLoS One. 2017 Jan 20;12(1):e0169919. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169919. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Magnetic forces and curvature-induced hydrodynamic drag have both been studied and employed in continuous microfluidic particle separation and enrichment schemes. Here we combine the two. We investigate consequences of applying an outwardly directed magnetic force to a dilute suspension of magnetic microspheres circulating in a spiral microfluidic channel. This force is realized with an array of permanent magnets arranged to produce a magnetic field with octupolar symmetry about the spiral axis. At low flow rates particles cluster around an apparent streamline of the flow near the outer wall of the turn. At high flow rates this equilibrium is disrupted by the induced secondary (Dean) flow and a new equilibrium is established near the inner wall of the turn. A model incorporating key forces involved in establishing these equilibria is described, and is used to extract quantitative information about the magnitude of local Dean drag forces from experimental data. Steady-state fractionation of suspensions by particle size under the combined influence of magnetic and hydrodynamic forces is demonstrated. Extensions of this work could lead to new continuous microscale particle sorting and enrichment processes with improved fidelity and specificity.

MeSH terms

  • Hydrodynamics*
  • Magnetics*
  • Microfluidics*
  • Microspheres*

Grants and funding

This work was funded by a fellowship within the “Postdoc-Programme of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)”. The authors also acknowledge funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the British Columbia Innovation Council (BCIC). We acknowledge support for the Article Processing Charge by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Open Access Publication Fund of the Technische Universität Ilmenau. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.