Numerical Study of Lateral Migration of Elliptical Magnetic Microparticles in Microchannels in Uniform Magnetic Fields

Fabrication and Manipulation of Non-Spherical Particles in Microfluidic Channels: A Review

Non-spherical shape is a general appearance feature for bioparticles. Therefore, a mechanical mechanism study of non-spherical particle migration in a microfluidic chip is essential for more precise isolation of target particles. With the manipulation of non-spherical particles, refined disease detection or medical intervention for human beings will be achievable in the future. In this review, fabrication and manipulation of non-spherical particles are discussed. Firstly, various fabrication methods for non-spherical microparticle are introduced. Then, the active and passive manipulation techniques for non-spherical particles are briefly reviewed, including straight inertial microchannels, secondary flow inertial microchannels and deterministic lateral displacement microchannels with extremely high resolution. Finally, applications of viscoelastic flow are presented which obviously increase the precision of non-spherical particle separation. Although various techniques have been employed to improve the performance of non-spherical particle manipulation, the universal mechanism behind this has not been fully discussed. The aim of this review is to provide a reference for non-spherical particle manipulation study researchers in every detail and inspire thoughts for non-spherical particle focused device design.

Modeling of the Particle Build-Up Evolution on a Single-Wire Magnetic Capture from Axial Stream Flow

The kinetic equation of the accumulation of magnetic particles from axial flow on a magnetized ferromagnetic wire in an external homogeneous magnetic field has been developed in this study. A new differential equation of the evolution of the accumulation radius over time, which considers both the capture and the detachment of the particles in the accumulation profile on the wire, has been formulated. The evolution of the radius of the accumulation profile over time was obtained from both the differential kinetic equation based on population theory and from the stochastic Fokker–Planck equation. In the limit approach (t→∞), it was observed that the expressions of the saturation radius of the accumulation radius on the magnetized wire of the particles obtained from both models were the same. It is emphasized that the obtained results are valid for both the initial and steady-state build-up of the particle capture process. These results were compared with the experimental results from the literature, and it was observed that the theoretical and experimental results were in good agreement. The effects of both capture and detachment events on the accumulation of particles on the magnetized wire were evaluated.

Assessment of Analytical Orientation Prediction Models for Suspensions Containing Fibers and Spheres

Analytical orientation models like the Folgar Tucker (FT) model are widely applied to predict the orientation of suspended non-spherical particles. The accuracy of these models depends on empirical model parameters. In this work, we assess how well analytical orientation models can predict the orientation of suspensions not only consisting of fibers but also of an additional second particle type in the shape of disks, which are varied in size and filling fraction. We mainly focus on the FT model, and we also compare its accuracy to more complex models like Reduced-Strain Closure model (RSC), Moldflow Rotational Diffusion model (MRD), and Anisotropic Rotary Diffusion model (ARD). In our work, we address the following questions. First, can the FT model predict the orientation of suspensions despite the additional particle phase affecting the rotation of the fibers? Second, is it possible to formulate an expression for the sole Folgar Tucker model parameter that is based on the suspension composition? Third, is there an advantage to choose more complex orientation prediction models that require the adjustment of additional model parameters?

Numerical Computation and Analysis of Electromagnetic Field in Magnetic Suspension and Balance System

The magnetic suspension wind tunnel balance (MSBS) is an entirely new device for aerodynamic measurement, and it makes the best of the electromagnetic force to suspend the aircraft model in the wind tunnel without contact. Compared with conventional wind tunnel balance, it absolutely abandons the model support and airflow interference. Therefore, the aerodynamic measurement environment is more authentic and the aerodynamic measurement results are more accurate. The electromagnetic field in MSBS plays a major role in bearing the force of wind. The numerical computation and finite element numerical analysis are performed to investigate key factors of electromagnetic force under different conditions. The calculation results based on finite element method (FEM) have revealed that the diameter and the spacing of of the axial coil, the number of segments and the pitch angle of the suspension model are key factors of electromagnetic force. Based on the above key factors, the structure of the magnetic suspension balance is optimized to maximize the electromagnetic force under multiple constraints.

Dynamics of a Pair of Paramagnetic Janus Particles under a Uniform Magnetic Field and Simple Shear Flow

We numerically investigate the dynamics of a pair of circular Janus microparticles immersed in a Newtonian fluid under a simple shear flow and a uniform magnetic field by direct numerical simulation. Using the COMSOL software, we applied the finite element method, based on an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian approach, and analyzed the dynamics of two anisotropic particles (i.e., one-half is paramagnetic, and the other is non-magnetic) due to the center-to-center distance, magnetic field strength, initial particle orientation, and configuration. This article considers two configurations: the LR-configuration (magnetic material is on the left side of the first particle and on the right side of the second particle) and the RL-configuration (magnetic material is on the right side of the first particle and on the left side of the second particle). For both configurations, a critical orientation determines if the particles either attract (below the critical) or repel (above the critical) under a uniform magnetic field. How well the particles form a chain depends on the comparison between the viscous and magnetic forces. For long particle distances, the viscous force separates the particles, and the magnetic force causes them to repel as the particle orientation increases above the configuration’s critical value. As the initial distance decreases, a chain formation is possible at a steady orientation, but is more feasible for the RL-configuration than the LR-configuration under the same circumstances.

Numerical Study of Paramagnetic Elliptical Microparticles in Curved Channels and Uniform Magnetic Fields

We numerically investigated the dynamics of a paramagnetic elliptical particle immersed in a low Reynolds number Poiseuille flow in a curved channel and under a uniform magnetic field by direct numerical simulation. A finite element method, based on an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian approach, analyzed how the channel geometry, the strength and direction of the magnetic field, and the particle shape affected the rotation and radial migration of the particle. The net radial migration of the particle was analyzed after executing a π rotation and at the exit of the curved channel with and without a magnetic field. In the absence of a magnetic field, the rotation is symmetric, but the particle-wall distance remains the same. When a magnetic field is applied, the rotation of symmetry is broken, and the particle-wall distance increases as the magnetic field strength increases. The causation of the radial migration is due to the magnetic angular velocity caused by the magnetic torque that constantly changes directions during particle transportation. This research provides a method of magnetically manipulating non-spherical particles on lab-on-a-chip devices for industrial and biological applications.

Shape-based separation of micro-/nanoparticles in liquid phases

The production of particles with shape-specific properties is reliant upon the separation of micro-/nanoparticles of particular shapes from particle mixtures of similar volumes. However, compared to a large number of size-based particle separation methods, shape-based separation methods have not been adequately explored. We review various up-to-date approaches to shape-based separation of rigid micro-/nanoparticles in liquid phases including size exclusion chromatography, field flow fractionation, deterministic lateral displacement, inertial focusing, electrophoresis, magnetophoresis, self-assembly precipitation, and centrifugation. We discuss separation mechanisms by classifying them as either changes in surface interactions or extensions of size-based separation. The latter includes geometric restrictions and shape-dependent transport properties.