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<p>Continuous separation of particles and cells in viscoelastic fluid has gained much attention due to its high precision in manipulating target entities, including submicron-sized particles, without external actuators. In this study, we demonstrate a high-resolution tri-modal separation of three distinct micron-sized particles utilizing a horizontally extended cruciform microchannel integrated with a Newtonian/viscoelastic co-flow system. Building upon the previous cruciform channel design, we introduce a lateral width extension to strategically modulate the elasto-inertial force distribution. This unique channel geometry induces size-dependent multi-point focusing and amplifies the disparities in lateral migration velocities among particles. Using polystyrene beads (13&#xa0;μm, 6&#xa0;μm, and 2.1&#xa0;μm) as size-specific models, we characterized the fundamental elasto-inertial migration behavior under two distinct co-flow configurations: PEO/PEO and PEO/DI water. By optimizing the channel width and the viscoelastic properties of the sheath flows, we successfully mapped the transition of particles across the fluidic interface. Specifically, the large (13&#xa0;μm) and medium (6&#xa0;μm) particles exhibited distinct elasto-inertial equilibrium points within the central and extended regions, respectively, while the small (2.1&#xa0;μm) particles remained within their initial streamlines due to a negligible blockage ratio. The performance of the proposed device was systematically evaluated to demonstrate the enhanced resolution provided by the horizontal extension compared to standard cruciform geometries. Our findings reveal that the horizontally extended cruciform geometry achieves a superior separation efficiency and recovery ratio exceeding 90% for all particle sizes. Furthermore, the proposed device served as an effective enrichment platform, yielding enrichment factors as high as 46.93 ± 2.4 for 13&#xa0;μm particles due to their rapid focusing into narrow spatial bands. These results suggest that the synergistic combination of horizontally extended cruciform microchannel and Newtonian/viscoelastic co-flow interface provides a highly effective and robust platform, serving as a foundational study with significant potential for the high-purity preparation of diverse biological cell populations in future clinical applications.</p>

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High-Resolution Tri-Modal Particle Separation Using a Horizontally Extended Cruciform Microchannel via Newtonian/Viscoelastic Co-Flow

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月5日

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  • SeungJin Baek,
  • Jaekyeong Jang,
  • Seung Jae Lee,
  • Younghak Cho

摘要

Continuous separation of particles and cells in viscoelastic fluid has gained much attention due to its high precision in manipulating target entities, including submicron-sized particles, without external actuators. In this study, we demonstrate a high-resolution tri-modal separation of three distinct micron-sized particles utilizing a horizontally extended cruciform microchannel integrated with a Newtonian/viscoelastic co-flow system. Building upon the previous cruciform channel design, we introduce a lateral width extension to strategically modulate the elasto-inertial force distribution. This unique channel geometry induces size-dependent multi-point focusing and amplifies the disparities in lateral migration velocities among particles. Using polystyrene beads (13 μm, 6 μm, and 2.1 μm) as size-specific models, we characterized the fundamental elasto-inertial migration behavior under two distinct co-flow configurations: PEO/PEO and PEO/DI water. By optimizing the channel width and the viscoelastic properties of the sheath flows, we successfully mapped the transition of particles across the fluidic interface. Specifically, the large (13 μm) and medium (6 μm) particles exhibited distinct elasto-inertial equilibrium points within the central and extended regions, respectively, while the small (2.1 μm) particles remained within their initial streamlines due to a negligible blockage ratio. The performance of the proposed device was systematically evaluated to demonstrate the enhanced resolution provided by the horizontal extension compared to standard cruciform geometries. Our findings reveal that the horizontally extended cruciform geometry achieves a superior separation efficiency and recovery ratio exceeding 90% for all particle sizes. Furthermore, the proposed device served as an effective enrichment platform, yielding enrichment factors as high as 46.93 ± 2.4 for 13 μm particles due to their rapid focusing into narrow spatial bands. These results suggest that the synergistic combination of horizontally extended cruciform microchannel and Newtonian/viscoelastic co-flow interface provides a highly effective and robust platform, serving as a foundational study with significant potential for the high-purity preparation of diverse biological cell populations in future clinical applications.