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Title: Symmetry-group-protected microfluidics
Modern micromanipulation techniques typically involve trapping using electromagnetic, acoustic, or flow fields that produce stresses on the trapped particles thereby precluding stress-free manipulations. Here, we show that by employing polyhedral symmetries in a multichannel microfluidic design, we can separate the tasks of displacing and trapping a particle into two distinct sets of flow operations, each characterized and protected by their unique groups of symmetries. By combining only the displacing uniform flow modes to entrain and move targeted particles in arbitrary directions, we were able to realize symmetry-protected, stress-free micromanipulation in 3D. Furthermore, we engineered complex, microscale paths by programming and controlling the flow within each channel in real time, resulting in multiple particles simultaneously following desired paths in the absence of any supervision or feedback. Our work therefore provides a general symmetry-group-based framework for understanding and engineering microfluidics and a novel platform for 3D stress-free manipulations. Published by the American Physical Society2024  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2046822 2112675
PAR ID:
10526936
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Publisher / Repository:
APS
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Physical Review Research
Volume:
6
Issue:
2
ISSN:
2643-1564
Page Range / eLocation ID:
023234
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
Biological fluid dynamics Fluid-particle interactions Low Reynolds number flows Stokesian dynamics Symmetry-protected topological states
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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