Multi-level DLD microfluidic chip for plasma separation: A novel approach using Cu-ACE
This paper presents the design and fabrication of an innovative microfluidic chip inspired by the intricate mechanism of fish gills. The main objective of this study is to develop an efficient microfluidic chip for the selective separation of blood plasma. To this end, numerical simulations in COMSO...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Results in Physics |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211379725001032 |
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| author | Milad Darboui Meysam Fatehi Reza Zareifar Hamid Reza Taheri Tolgari Hadi Esmaeili Khoshmardan |
| author_facet | Milad Darboui Meysam Fatehi Reza Zareifar Hamid Reza Taheri Tolgari Hadi Esmaeili Khoshmardan |
| author_sort | Milad Darboui |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper presents the design and fabrication of an innovative microfluidic chip inspired by the intricate mechanism of fish gills. The main objective of this study is to develop an efficient microfluidic chip for the selective separation of blood plasma. To this end, numerical simulations in COMSOL Multiphysics software have been employed to optimize geometric and operational parameters, thereby achieving optimal separation efficiency. The fabrication of this chip employed the copper-assisted chemical etching (Cu-ACE) technique, resulting in the formation of a well-ordered array of crescent-shaped micro holes on a silicon wafer. The micro holes were molded using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), resulting in the production of PDMS pillars in a deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) structure. These filters were integrated into a copper reservoir with a depth of 10 μm, then strong bond between the PDMS structure and copper substrate was established using a new self-assembled silane layer. To assess the surface morphology and quality of the fabricated structures, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and optical microscopy (OM) were utilized to observe the separation of the cells from the plasma. A hemocytometer was provided to determine the purity percentage for validation and assessment of the results. The results indicated that the adhesion between PDMS and copper is acceptable. Additionally, the crescent-shaped pillars have an efficient effect on the separation, achieving a plasma purity of 98 % from experimental test. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ec5ef751041d4aea841ba3192ba000de |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2211-3797 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Results in Physics |
| spelling | doaj-art-ec5ef751041d4aea841ba3192ba000de2025-08-20T02:07:19ZengElsevierResults in Physics2211-37972025-04-017110820910.1016/j.rinp.2025.108209Multi-level DLD microfluidic chip for plasma separation: A novel approach using Cu-ACEMilad Darboui0Meysam Fatehi1Reza Zareifar2Hamid Reza Taheri Tolgari3Hadi Esmaeili Khoshmardan4MEMS & NEMS Laboratory, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; Corresponding author.MEMS & NEMS Laboratory, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranMEMS & NEMS Laboratory, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, IranDepartment of Nanotechnology, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, Semnan University, Semnan, IranThis paper presents the design and fabrication of an innovative microfluidic chip inspired by the intricate mechanism of fish gills. The main objective of this study is to develop an efficient microfluidic chip for the selective separation of blood plasma. To this end, numerical simulations in COMSOL Multiphysics software have been employed to optimize geometric and operational parameters, thereby achieving optimal separation efficiency. The fabrication of this chip employed the copper-assisted chemical etching (Cu-ACE) technique, resulting in the formation of a well-ordered array of crescent-shaped micro holes on a silicon wafer. The micro holes were molded using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), resulting in the production of PDMS pillars in a deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) structure. These filters were integrated into a copper reservoir with a depth of 10 μm, then strong bond between the PDMS structure and copper substrate was established using a new self-assembled silane layer. To assess the surface morphology and quality of the fabricated structures, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and optical microscopy (OM) were utilized to observe the separation of the cells from the plasma. A hemocytometer was provided to determine the purity percentage for validation and assessment of the results. The results indicated that the adhesion between PDMS and copper is acceptable. Additionally, the crescent-shaped pillars have an efficient effect on the separation, achieving a plasma purity of 98 % from experimental test.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211379725001032Fish gills filtersBlood separationMicrofluidics chipCopper-PDMS bonding |
| spellingShingle | Milad Darboui Meysam Fatehi Reza Zareifar Hamid Reza Taheri Tolgari Hadi Esmaeili Khoshmardan Multi-level DLD microfluidic chip for plasma separation: A novel approach using Cu-ACE Results in Physics Fish gills filters Blood separation Microfluidics chip Copper-PDMS bonding |
| title | Multi-level DLD microfluidic chip for plasma separation: A novel approach using Cu-ACE |
| title_full | Multi-level DLD microfluidic chip for plasma separation: A novel approach using Cu-ACE |
| title_fullStr | Multi-level DLD microfluidic chip for plasma separation: A novel approach using Cu-ACE |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multi-level DLD microfluidic chip for plasma separation: A novel approach using Cu-ACE |
| title_short | Multi-level DLD microfluidic chip for plasma separation: A novel approach using Cu-ACE |
| title_sort | multi level dld microfluidic chip for plasma separation a novel approach using cu ace |
| topic | Fish gills filters Blood separation Microfluidics chip Copper-PDMS bonding |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211379725001032 |
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