We design actuated cilia that can maneuver microscopic particles normal to a microfluidic channel wall and transport microscopic particles parallel to the channel wall. For identifying the design specifications, we employ a hybrid LBM/LSM computational model, to simulate hydrodynamic interactions between oscillating elastic cilia and microscopic particles in a microfluidic channel. The oscillating synthetic cilia are elastic filaments tethered to the channel wall and actuated by sinusoidal force acting at their free ends. The cilia are arranged in a square pattern. The microscopic particle is a neutrally buoyant solid sphere, which is sufficiently small compared to the cilium length and inter-cilium distances, so that the particle can move freely inside the ciliated layer.
We study the effect of actuation frequency on the particle motion inside the ciliated layer. We show that depending on the frequency, particles can be either driven away from the ciliated channel wall or drawn towards the wall. We also examine how to use inclined cilia to transport particles along the ciliated layer. We show that the particle transport along the ciliated layer can be regulated by the frequency of cilium oscillation. The results uncover a new route for regulating particle position and transport in microfluidic devices.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:GATECH/oai:smartech.gatech.edu:1853/33861 |
| Date | 12 April 2010 |
| Creators | Ghosh, Rajat |
| Publisher | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Source Sets | Georgia Tech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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