title: Making a hydrophoretic focuser tunable using a diaphragm.
abstract: Microfluidic diagnostic devices often require handling particles or cells with different sizes. In this investigation, a tunable hydrophoretic device was developed which consists of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) slab with hydrophoretic channel, a PDMS diaphragm with pressure channel, and a glass slide. The height of the hydrophoretic channel can be tuned simply and reliably by deforming the elastomeric diaphragm with pressure applied on the pressure channel. This operation allows the device to have a large operating range where different particles and complex biological samples can be processed. The focusing performance of this device was tested using blood cells that varied in shape and size. The hydrophoretic channel had a large cross section which enabled a throughput capability for cell focusing of ∼15 000 cells s(-1), which was more than the conventional hydrophoretic focusing and dielectrophoresis (DEP)-active hydrophoretic methods. This tunable hydrophoretic focuser can potentially be integrated into advanced lab-on-a-chip bioanalysis devices.
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong , Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0012-6450
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong , Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1113-6264
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship , Private Bag 10, Clayton South, Victoria 3169, Australia.
authors.forename: Huaying
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3637-2714
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Gursel
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6527-2881
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alici
authors.affiliation: School of Electric, Computer and Telecommunication Engineering, University of Wollongong , Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
authors.forename: Haiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Yonggang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong , Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li