Academic Journal
Enhancing deterministic lateral displacement performance using asymmetric gap geometries under high Reynolds number flow.
| Title: | Enhancing deterministic lateral displacement performance using asymmetric gap geometries under high Reynolds number flow. |
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| Authors: | Rahmati M; School of Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA., Chen X; School of Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, 98686, USA. Electronic address: chenx@wsu.edu. |
| Source: | Journal of chromatography. A [J Chromatogr A] 2026 Oct 25; Vol. 1787, pp. 467373. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 18. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 9318488 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-3778 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00219673 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Chromatogr A Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Amsterdam ; New York : Elsevier, 1993- |
| MeSH Terms: | Microfluidic Analytical Techniques*/instrumentation , Microfluidic Analytical Techniques*/methods, Models, Theoretical ; Particle Size ; Equipment Design ; Computer Simulation |
| Abstract: | The separation and detection of suspended particles are critical in a wide range of applications, including cell sorting and medical diagnostics. Microfluidic deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) is a promising technique due to its ability to continuously separate particles based primarily on size with high resolution. However, achieving high-resolution particle separation remains challenging, as it requires reducing gap sizes, which significantly increases hydraulic resistance and reduces device throughput. In this study, DLD devices with asymmetric gap configurations are proposed to overcome this limitation. By independently varying vertical and horizontal gap sizes, the proposed design enhances separation resolution while mitigating the increase in hydraulic resistance. A comprehensive numerical model is developed to investigate the effects of gap asymmetry, row shift fraction, and Reynolds number on hydraulic resistance and critical diameter. The results show that increasing the vertical gap significantly reduces hydraulic resistance, whereas decreasing the horizontal gap improves separation performance, enabling more efficient particle displacement. Furthermore, the influence of moderate to high Reynolds number flows is examined, revealing that although inertial effects slightly increase hydraulic resistance, their overall impact is minor compared to the benefits of asymmetric gap design. Based on the simulation data, a regression-based predictive equation is derived to estimate the critical diameter as a function of key design and flow parameters. The proposed approach has the potential to improve throughput and separation resolution while offering advantages in fabrication, and may provide useful guidance for the design of high-resolution DLD devices. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Asymmetric gap geometry; Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD); High Reynolds number flow; Hydraulic resistance; Microfluidic particle separation |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260901 Date Completed: 20260926 Latest Revision: 20260926 |
| Update Code: | 20260927 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.chroma.2026.467373 |
| PMID: | 42679686 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-3778 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.chroma.2026.467373 |