Separation of Microscale Chiral Objects by Shear Flow
Author(s)
Powers, Thomas R.; Fu, Henry C.; Stocker, Roman; Marcos
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We show that plane parabolic flow in a microfluidic channel causes nonmotile, helically shaped bacteria to drift perpendicular to the shear plane. Net drift results from the preferential alignment of helices with streamlines, with a direction that depends on the chirality of the helix and the sign of the shear rate. The drift is in good agreement with a model based on resistive force theory, and separation is efficient (>80%) and fast (<2 s). We estimate the effect of Brownian rotational diffusion on chiral separation and show how this method can be extended to separate chiral molecules.
Date issued
2009-04Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical EngineeringJournal
Physical Review Letters
Publisher
American Physical Society
Citation
Marcos et al. “Separation of Microscale Chiral Objects by Shear Flow.” Physical Review Letters 102.15 (2009): 158103.© 2009 The American Physical Society.
Version: Final published version
ISSN
0031-9007