Developing a novel centrifugal-based microfluidic particle focusing device; a microhydrocyclone

微流控设备正在成为许多行业未来技术的必然组成部分，如诊断、筛查、药物研发、美容、外科设备以及快速高效的小样本量实验。流动和颗粒聚焦是用于形成乳状液、包裹颗粒或分类颗粒的技术。目前，基于离心力的聚焦技术在微流控装置的发展中占据主导地位，微流控装置又分为离心式平台和惯性平台两大类。然而，这些技术面临着诸如吞吐量有限、以批次和流动或颗粒堵塞的方式工作等问题。本研究项目通过引入微水力旋流器微流控装置，提出了解决上述问题的方案。微水力旋流器是一种离心式筛分设备，是本研究项目中提出的一种替代颗粒聚焦技术。该装置的工作原理是利用离心力根据颗粒的密度差异将颗粒从主流中分离出来。与现有的聚焦技术相比，微水力旋流器将具有更大的离心力，同时作为一个连续流动单元工作。事实上，微水力旋流器技术结合了离心式微流控平台的主要优势(即高离心力)和微流控惯性器件的主要优势(即连续流动)。这项研究计划旨在为商业应用的微水力旋流器的设计和运行制定技术协议。为此，我们将在这项发现赠款研究中采取步骤，开发将微型水力旋流器应用于实践所需的基础知识。这些包括评估和发展将在此基础上设计的微水力旋流器的相关性。利用先进的微尺度制造技术设计和制造该装置，以及对其进行主动控制将是该研究的另一个重要部分。然而，设计和主动控制需要对微水力旋流器内部的设备操作、流动和颗粒动力学有基本的了解。这一理解是本研究计划的另一个目标。为了实现这一目标，将采用成像技术来测量设备内部的流动。将评估二次涡的形成和动力学，以及流动元素和主流携带的颗粒之间的相互作用。为了承担这项拟议的研究计划，我们将培养能够为微流体科学和工业应用的进一步发展做出贡献的博士和硕士学生。研究成果和相关培训将提升加拿大的研究形象，并有助于相关微流控行业的进一步发展。

Microfluidic devices are becoming an inevitable part of future technologies in many industries such as diagnostics, screening, drug discovery, cosmetic, surgical equipment, and rapid and efficient experiments on small-sample volumes. Flow and particle focusing are technologies used to form emulsions, encapsulated particles or classifying particles. Currently, centrifugal-based focusing technologies are dominant in microfluidic device development which in turn are divided into two main classes of centrifugal platforms and inertial platforms. These technologies, however, are suffering from issues such as limited throughput, working as batch and flow or particle blockage. This research program, propose a solution for the mentioned issues by introducing a microhydrocyclone microfluidic device. Microhydrocyclone is a centrifugal screening and separation device, which is proposed in this research program as an alternative technology for particle focusing. The device works on the principle using centrifugal force to separate particles from the main stream according to their density difference. Comparing the current technologies of focusing, microhydrocyclones will have significantly higher centrifugal force and at the same time work as a continuous flow unit. In fact, microhydrocyclone technology combines the main advantage of centrifugal microfluidic platforms (i.e. high centrifugal acceleration) with the main advantage of microfluidic inertial devices (i.e. continuous flow). This research program will aim in developing technical protocols for microhydrocyclones design and operation for commercial applications. In doing such, we will take steps in this discovery grant research toward developing fundamental knowledge required to bring the microhydrocyclones to practice. These are including assessing and developing correlations that a microhydrocyclone will be designed based on them. Design and fabrication of the device using advanced microscale manufacturing techniques as well as and its active control will be another important part of the research. Design and active control, however, require fundamental understanding of the device operation and flow and particle dynamics inside the microhydrocyclone. This understanding is another objective of this research program. To cover this objective, imaging techniques will be undertaken to measure the flow inside the device. The formation and dynamics of secondary vortices and the interactions between the flow element and particles that are carried with the main stream will be evaluated. To undertake this proposed research program, we will train PhD and MSc students who will be able to contribute to the further advances of the microfluidics sciences and industrial applications. The research outcomes and the associated trainings, will elevate Canada's research profile and help further progress in related microfluidics industry.