Dielectrophoretic Separation of Platelets from Red Blood Cells
Application ID: 17013
Dielectrophoresis (DEP) occurs when a force is exerted on a dielectric particle as it is subjected to a nonuniform electric field. DEP has many applications in the field of biomedical devices used for biosensors, diagnostics, particle manipulation and filtration (sorting), particle assembly, and more.
The DEP force is sensitive to the size, shape, and dielectric properties of the particles. This allows DEP to be used to separate different kinds of particles, such as various kinds of cells from a mixture. The Red Blood Cell Separation application shows how red blood cells can be selectively filtered from a blood sample in order to isolate red blood cells from platelets.
In the DEP filter device, the red blood cells, which are larger than the platelets, feel a larger force and are thereby deflected more. The two outlets are arranged so that the top outlet catches undeflected particles and only particles that have been deflected can exit from the lower outlet.
The app allows you to vary characteristics of the red blood cells and platelets, as well as the electric field.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
- COMSOL Multiphysics® and
- Particle Tracing Module and
- either the AC/DC Module, MEMS Module, or RF Module and
- either the Battery Design Module, CFD Module, Chemical Reaction Engineering Module, Corrosion Module, Electrochemistry Module, Electrodeposition Module, Fuel Cell & Electrolyzer Module, Microfluidics Module, Polymer Flow Module, Porous Media Flow Module, or Subsurface Flow Module
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.