A 3D printed three-dimensional centrifugal fluidic system for blood separation

This paper reports a miniature microfluidic system based on centrifugal and gravity actuations for separation of blood cells. The fluidic platform is driven with a motor and controlled using a single-chip micyoco (SCM). Centrifugal force was used both for delivering the blood sample and realizing density gradient centrifugation for separation of red blood cells from plasma. By utilizing the centrifugal force, Coriolis force, Euler's force, and gravity force in actuation of blood sample, a compact design of three-dimensional fluidic system for flow control was achieved. The centrifugal microfluidic platform was fabricated using 3D printing technology with polymers as structural materials. Because of the strong adhesion of leukocyte and the larger sizes of the blood cells, silica electrospun fiber was used as filter for white cells. In the experiments, the average removal rate of red blood cells is controllable by changing the working parameters. The instrument can separate 20-50 mu l plasma at a time. No white cells were found in the plasma after separation.

Automated summary

This paper presents a miniature microfluidic system driven by centrifugal and gravity actuations for blood cell separation. By utilizing centrifugal force and other forces, a compact 3D fluidic system design is achieved and fabricated with 3D printing technology. The instrument can control the average removal rate of red blood cells by changing working parameters for separating plasma with no white cells found afterwards.