Effects of two surface acoustic wave sorting chips on particles multi-level sorting

• Published in: Biomedical microdevices Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 59 - 15
• Main Authors: Liu, Guojun, He, Fang, Li, Yan, Zhao, Hong, Li, Xinbo, Tang, Huajie, Li, Zhiqiang, Yang, Zhigang, Zhang, Yanyan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.09.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Biological and Medical Physics; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Biophysics; Cell Separation - instrumentation; Chemical analysis; Chips; Engineering; Engineering Fluid Dynamics; Flow velocity; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Medical research; Microfluidics; Nanotechnology; Organic chemistry; Polystyrene; Polystyrene resins; Polystyrenes - isolation & purification; Radiation; Sound; Sound waves; Surface acoustic waves; Microfluidic chip; Hydraulic force; Surface acoustic wave; Multi-level separation; Acoustic radiation force
• ISSN: 1387-2176; 1572-8781
• DOI: 10.1007/s10544-019-0419-4

Particle/cell sorting has great potential in medical diagnosis and chemical analysis. Two kinds of microfluidic sorting chips (sequential sorting chip and direct sorting chip) are designed, which combine hydraulic force and acoustic radiation force to achieve continuous sorting of multiple particles. Firstly, the optimal values of the angle (α) between the interdigital transducer (IDT) and the main channel, the peak-to-peak voltage (Vpp), the main flow velocity (Vmax) and the flow ratio (A) are determined by simulation and experiments, the related optimal parameters were obtained that the α = 15°, Vpp = 25 V, Vmax = 4 mm/s, flow ratio A 1  = 0.2, and A 2  = 0.5, respectively. Then, the corresponding sorting experiments were carried out using two kinds of sorting chips to sort the polystyrene (PS) particles with diameters of 1 μm, 5 μm, and 10 μm, and the sorting rate and purity of particles were calculated and analyzed. Experimental results show that the two kinds of sorting chips can achieve continuous sorting of multiple particles, and the sorting effect of sequential sorting chip (control flow ratio) is better than that of direct sorting chip. In addition, the sorting chips in our research have the advantages of simple structure, high sorting efficiency, and the ability to sort multiple particles, which can be applied in medical and chemical research fields, such as cell sorting and chemical analysis.