Computational model of an inertially governed PDMS microchannel for blood cell sorting.

Recently, inertial-based microfluidic systems for cell separation have gained popularity owing to their ease of use and ultra-high throughput. Hydrodynamic forces prevail at the microchannel's top and bottom, creating two counter-rotating vortices that power these devices. The vortices form due to the centrifugal force acting as a secondary force inside the spiral form of the microchannel. This study employs COMSOL Multiphysics for a numerical simulation of dean flow dynamics based on the Navier-Stokes equation. Changing the flow rate inside a spiral microchannel allows for more efficient separation of RBCs, WBCs, and platelets, the three primary cell types found in human blood. The influence of channel Reynolds number and radius of curvature on dean flow velocity is investigated. PDMS (Poly Dimethyl Siloxane) is chosen as a material because of its flexibility and biocompatibility nature. The optimized spiral microchannel can be used for effective cell focusing and separation corresponding to their size depends on lateral hydrodynamic forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]