Inertial particle focusing system
View Patent ↗An inertial particle focusing system for use with a particle having diameter (a) includes a curved microchannel into a substrate, said microchannel having a radius of curvature (r), and a channel hydraulic diameter (D h ), wherein the ratio of r to D h satisfies the following criterion: 2 ra 2 /D h 3 ≧0.037.
1. An inertial particle focusing system for use with a particle having diameter (a), comprising:
a curved microchannel disposed in a substrate, said microchannel having
a radius of curvature (r), and
a channel hydraulic diameter (D h ),
wherein the ratio of r to D h satisfies the following criterion:
2 ra 2 /D h 3 0.037.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microchannel comprises:
an inlet;
a curved region; and
an outlet.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the microchannel further comprises:
a filter region; and
a straight region.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the curved region includes a plurality of curves.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microchannel has a rectangular cross-section.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microchannel has a square cross-section.
7. The system of claim 1 , the curved microchannel further comprising an upstream curve and a downstream curve, wherein the upstream and downstream curves have different radii of curvature.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein one of the upstream curve and the downstream curve has a smaller radius and the other has a larger radius, such that a ratio of the larger radius to the smaller radius is greater than 6.
9. A method of focusing particles of diameter a comprising flowing a population of particles within the inertial particle focusing system of claim 1 .