Arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip and application method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides an arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip and an application method thereof, and the chip comprises a target curve flow channel which is a curve with the curvature greater than 0 and is bent towards a single side; the barrier column array is arranged in the target curve flow channel; the obstacle column array comprises a plurality of obstacle columns which are arranged in order, and when a particle solution flows through the obstacle column array, the advancing routes of particles with different sizes are different. According to the scheme, the obstacle column array formed by the multiple obstacle columns which are arranged in order is arranged in the target curve flow channel with the curvature larger than 0 and bent towards the single side, so that the length of the flow channel is shortened under the condition that the particle sorting precision is not lost, and the area occupied by the flow channel is reduced. In addition, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided by the specification can be used for efficiently sorting sticky particles, and can be used for accurately sorting larger particles in a particle solution with impurities and filtering the impurities at the same time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of microfluidics technology, and in particular to an arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip and an application method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD) chip is a microfluidic chip based on the deterministic lateral displacement principle, enabling purification, separation, and solvent exchange of particle solutions. The chip primarily consists of an obstacle channel with two openings on either side, the latter serving as the solution inlet and outlet. The particle solution is processed as follows: after being injected into the chip from the inlet, it flows through the obstacle channel and ultimately out of the outlet. Within the obstacle channel, an array of pillars is deployed to exploit the differences in lateral forces acting on particles of different sizes, forcing them to move in different directions, thereby achieving separation.

[0003] At present, the solution channels of existing arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chips mostly adopt a long strip design, and the obstacle zone channel is set in the middle of the solution channel.

[0004] This structural design has obvious limitations: on the one hand, the longer obstacle zone channel directly leads to an increase in the overall length of the chip and a larger area, which brings inconvenience to installation, operation and spatial layout in actual applications; on the other hand, this type of chip has poor sorting effect on sticky particles, and it is difficult to achieve efficient separation when processing particles with small differences in particle size, which limits its scope of application. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this specification is to provide an arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip and its application method to solve the problems of existing deterministic lateral displacement chips being long, occupying a large area, and having poor sorting effect on sticky particles.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the first aspect of this specification provides an arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip, comprising: a target curved flow channel, wherein the target curved flow channel is a curve with a curvature greater than 0 and bends toward one side; an obstacle column array, arranged inside the target curved flow channel; the obstacle column array comprises a plurality of orderly arranged obstacle columns, and when a particle solution flows through the obstacle column array, particles of different sizes follow different travel paths.

[0007] In some embodiments, the target curved flow channel is a planar spiral flow channel having more than one turn of flow channels.

[0008] In some embodiments, the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel is located near the center of the spiral, and the solution outlet is located outside the spiral; or, the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel is located outside the spiral, and the solution outlet is located near the center of the spiral.

[0009] In some embodiments, at least two outlet flow channels are provided at the solution outlet of the target curved flow channel, and the at least two outlet flow channels are used to flow out solutions of particles with different particle sizes.

[0010] In some embodiments, the obstacle columns in the obstacle column array are arranged in rows and columns, wherein the direction of the rows is the direction of parallel lines along the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel, and the direction of the columns is the direction of perpendicular lines along the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel.

[0011] In some embodiments, the arrangement direction of any column of obstacle columns in the obstacle column array is at a preset angle to the perpendicular line of the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel at the column of obstacle columns, and the preset angle is located on the side of the perpendicular line facing the flow direction of the particle solution.

[0012] In some embodiments, the preset angle is 8-10°.

[0013] In some embodiments, the target curved flow channel varies along the flow direction of the particle solution in at least one of the following parameters: row spacing, column spacing, column inclination angle, cross-sectional shape of the obstacle column, and size indicating thickness of the obstacle column.

[0014] In some embodiments, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip is prepared by: etching a target pattern on a substrate, wherein the target pattern is a curved groove with an obstacle column inside, and the curvature of the curved groove is greater than 0 and bends toward one side of the curve; and setting a cover plate on the substrate etched with the target pattern.

[0015] In some embodiments, at least one side branch solution outlet is sequentially provided on a side wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature along the flow direction of the particle solution.

[0016] The second aspect of this specification provides an application method of an arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip, which is used for the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip described in any one of the first aspects, wherein the target curve flow channel of the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip has at least one solution inlet and at least two solution outlets; the method comprises: introducing a solution of particles to be processed into the solution inlet of the target curve flow channel, collecting waste liquid from the first solution outlet of the target curve flow channel, and collecting a solution of target particles from at least one other solution outlet of the target curve flow channel; wherein the solution of particles to be processed contains at least one particle.

[0017] In some embodiments, when the particle solution to be processed includes one type of particle, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip is used to concentrate the particle solution; when the particle solution to be processed includes two or more types of particles, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip is used to separate the target particles from the particle solution to be processed.

[0018] In some embodiments, at least one side solution outlet is sequentially provided on a side wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature along the flow direction of the particle solution; the method further comprises: blocking each side solution outlet, opening the main solution outlet, and injecting the particles to be processed from the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel; for any one of the side solution outlets, when it is observed that the purity of the particle solution at the target side solution outlet reaches the target, opening the target side solution outlet.

[0019] In some embodiments, at least one side solution outlet is sequentially arranged along the flow direction of the particle solution on a side wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature; the method further includes: blocking each side solution outlet, opening the main solution outlet, and injecting the particles to be processed from the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel; for any one of the side solution outlets, when it is observed that the particle solution at the target side solution outlet does not contain the target particles, the target side solution outlet is opened.

[0020] The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification has an obstacle column array formed by a plurality of orderly arranged obstacle columns arranged in a target curved flow channel with a curvature greater than 0 and curved toward one side, so that the length of the flow channel is shortened and the area occupied by the flow channel is reduced without losing the particle sorting accuracy; further, when the target curved flow channel is a flat spiral flow channel, the compact structure of the spiral flow channel enables the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification to achieve the sorting of particles of different particle sizes while occupying the minimum area. In addition, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification can achieve efficient sorting of sticky particles, and can also achieve accurate sorting of larger particles and filter out impurities in particle solutions with impurities. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the implementation methods of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the implementation methods or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some implementation methods recorded in this application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0022] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a plane spiral flow channel;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Detailed diagram of the gray dotted box;

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Detailed diagram of the gray dotted box;

[0025] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the travel paths of large and small particles in an existing deterministic lateral displacement chip;

[0026] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the simulation of the path of small particles in an existing deterministic lateral displacement chip;

[0027] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the simulation of the travel paths of large and small particles in the target curved flow channel;

[0028] Figure 7 This is an image taken by a high-speed camera when a large particle solution flows into the target curved flow channel from one end of the obstacle column array;

[0029] Figure 8 This is an image taken by a high-speed camera when a large particle solution passes through an array of obstacle columns in a target curved flow channel;

[0030] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of a spiral curved flow channel with multiple solution outlets. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] This specification proposes embedding an "obstacle column array formed by orderly arranged obstacle columns" within a unidirectional curved target flow channel, thereby forming a new arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip includes a target curved flow channel and an obstacle column array.

[0033] The target curved flow channel is a curve with a curvature greater than 0 and bending toward one side. "Curvature greater than 0" means that the target curved flow channel is different from a straight flow channel. A curved flow channel with a curvature greater than 0 can cause the particle solution to generate Dean flow, also known as secondary flow, during the flow process. This solution aims to solve the above-mentioned technical problems by utilizing the effect of Dean flow. "Bending toward one side" means that the target curved flow channel is different from an S-shaped curved flow channel that bends toward both sides of the curve. Although the S-shaped curve can also generate Dean flow, after the particle solution flows from the part of the flow channel that "bends toward one side" to the part of the flow channel that "bends toward the other side", the travel paths of large and small particles in the particle solution will be completely disrupted, making it difficult to achieve efficient and stable particle sorting.

[0034] In some embodiments, the target curved flow path can be a circular arc with a small curvature but a long length, or a circular arc with a large curvature but a short length. To achieve the same particle sorting effect, the greater the curvature of the target curved flow path, the shorter the required length; the smaller the curvature of the target curved flow path, the longer the required length.

[0035] When the target curved flow channel is a circular arc flow channel, other forms of flow channels and particle solution processing components can be set on the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip to connect with the target curved flow channel, so that the arrangement of the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip is more compact and does not waste space on the chip.

[0036] In some embodiments, the target curved flow channel may be a planar spiral flow channel having more than one turn of flow channels. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a planar spiral flow channel. The black shading represents the planar spiral flow channel. The black shading represents the visual effect of the obstacle column array after being reduced. The number of turns (also called the number of cycles) of the planar spiral flow channel can be two, three, ten, or more.

[0037] When the target curved flow channel is a planar spiral flow channel, due to the compact layout of the planar spiral flow channel, the target curved flow channel can be used as the main body of the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip. No other particle solution processing components or other forms of flow channels are set on the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip. Only the planar spiral flow channel and the solution inlet flow channel and the solution outlet flow channel are set.

[0038] Except for the solution inlet flow channel and the solution outlet flow channel, the widths of the target curved flow channels can be almost equal, that is, equal width. The equal width target curved flow channels can facilitate the design and production of the flow channels.

[0039] The obstacle column array is disposed within, or embedded in, the target curved flow channel. The obstacle column array comprises a plurality of orderly arranged obstacle columns. When a particle solution flows through the obstacle column array, particles of different sizes follow different paths. Figure 2 for Figure 1 Detailed diagram of the gray dotted box part, from Figure 2 The obstacle columns arranged in an array can be clearly seen.

[0040] The array of obstacle pillars within the target curved flow channel can be arranged in rows or columns, where rows are oriented along lines parallel to the walls of the target curved flow channel, and columns are oriented along lines perpendicular to the walls. Accordingly, the array parameters of the obstacle pillar array within the target curved flow channel include row spacing, column spacing, column inclination angle, obstacle pillar cross-sectional shape, and dimensions representing obstacle pillar thickness. These parameters can be the same or different within a continuous array of obstacle pillars.

[0041] The row spacing of the obstacle column array refers to the distance between two adjacent obstacle columns along the parallel lines of the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel. For example, Figure 3 for Figure 1 Detailed diagram of the gray dashed box, where the spacing x is the row spacing, A is the side wall of the target curved flow channel, and B is the cross-section of the obstacle column.

[0042] The column spacing of the obstacle column array refers to the spacing between two adjacent obstacle columns in the direction perpendicular to the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel. For example, Figure 3 The spacing y in is the column spacing.

[0043] The column inclination angle of the obstacle column array refers to the angle between the arrangement direction of a column of obstacle columns and the perpendicular line of the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel at the column of obstacle columns. In some embodiments, the arrangement direction of any column of obstacle columns in the obstacle column array and the perpendicular line of the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel at the column of obstacle columns form a preset angle, and the preset angle is located on the side of the perpendicular line facing the flow direction of the particle solution. This preset angle is the column inclination angle. Figure 3 As shown, the preset angle may specifically be 8-10°.

[0044] The cross-sectional shape of the barrier column can be circular, elliptical, rectangular, square or irregular.

[0045] In some embodiments, when the target curved flow channel is a planar spiral flow channel with one or more turns of flow channels, the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel is located near the center of the spiral, and the solution outlet is located outside the spiral. In other embodiments, when the target curved flow channel is a planar spiral flow channel with one or more turns of flow channels, the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel is located outside the spiral, and the solution outlet is located near the center of the spiral.

[0046] The working principle and beneficial effects of the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification are described below.

[0047] "An obstacle column array formed by orderly arranging obstacle columns" is usually a structure in a deterministic lateral displacement chip. Figure 4 The figure is a schematic diagram of the travel paths of large and small particles in the existing deterministic lateral displacement chip, where the red route is the travel path of large particles and the green route is the travel path of small particles. Figure 4 It can be seen from the figure that in the existing deterministic lateral displacement chip, when the particle solution is injected from the lower left, the small particles basically move along the injection direction (the injection direction is Figure 4 The large particles will move in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow, while the large particles will move in the inclined row direction (the arrangement of the obstacle columns perpendicular to the direction of the particle solution is called a "column", and the arrangement along the direction parallel to the particle solution is called a "row") toward the upper right, resulting in a stratified flow phenomenon at the solution outlet on the right, with large particles in the upper right and small particles in the lower right, thus achieving particle sorting. Figure 4 The angle θ in the equation is the angle between the particle injection direction and the direction of macroparticle travel.

[0048] Figure 5 The figure is a simulation diagram of the path of small particles in the existing deterministic lateral displacement chip, where the red line represents the path of small particles. Figure 4 and Figure 5 It can be seen that the small particle needs to pass through multiple columns before it can move to the next row, which means that the distance from the large particle's path increases by one row. Figure 4 Small and medium particles need to pass through about 10 columns before they can move to the next row. Figure 5 Small and medium particles need to pass through about 20 columns before they can move to the next row. Figure 5 The legend "uMagnitude" below refers to the magnitude of the simulated fluid flow rate.

[0049] After the "obstacle column array formed by orderly arranging obstacle columns" is embedded in the unidirectional curved flow channel to obtain the target curved flow channel provided in this specification, the travel paths of large and small particles undergo significant changes. Figure 6The figure is a simulation diagram of the paths of large and small particles in the target curved flow channel, where the black curve is the path of large particles and the red curve is the path of small particles. Figure 6 It can be seen that in Figure 6 and Figure 5 When the row spacing, column spacing, shape and size of the obstacle columns are basically the same, small particles continue to move along the inclined row direction, while large particles move in the opposite direction of the target curved flow channel (i.e., toward the outside of the flow channel), and can move to the next row after passing through fewer columns (about 5 columns), which means the distance from the small particle's path increases by one row.

[0050] On the one hand, contrast Figure 5 and Figure 6 It can be found that: the moving directions of large and small particles are different. In the existing deterministic lateral displacement chip, the "large" particles continue to move along the inclined row direction, while in the target curved flow channel, the "small" particles continue to move along the inclined row direction; in the existing deterministic lateral displacement chip, the "small" particles gradually move to the next row, while in the target curved flow channel, the "large" particles gradually move to the next row.

[0051] This is because when a particle solution flows through a target curved channel, its circular motion generates centrifugal force, forcing it to deviate toward the outside of the channel (opposite the center of curvature). Simultaneously, the constraints of the channel wall create a reverse pressure gradient, pushing the particle solution back inward. This converges into a pair of symmetrical vortices (Dean vortices) on a cross-section perpendicular to the channel axis. This secondary flow exerts a radial force on the suspended particles—the Dean force—directed by the direction of the vortex. The motion of particles in Dean flow is the result of the combined action of the Dean force and inertial lift, and the magnitude of this force is closely related to particle size.

[0052] Normally, the inertial effect of small particles is weak, and their inertial lift can be ignored. Their movement is dominated by the Dean force, which pushes the small particles to follow the circulation of the Dean vortex, causing them to deviate along the vortex direction on the flow channel cross section, and their final path of travel is closer to the Dean vortex. However, in the above-mentioned target curved flow channel, the design of the obstacle column array weakens the Dean force to a certain extent. The closer to the inside of the flow channel (i.e., in the direction of the center of curvature), the more the Dean force is weakened. As a result, even small particles on the outside of the flow channel will be pushed inward by the Dean force, causing small particles to gather toward the inside of the flow channel (i.e., in the direction of the center of curvature). Moreover, the smaller the particles, the closer they are to the inside of the flow channel.

[0053] The inertial effect of large particles is significant, with inertial lift dominating and far greater than the Dean force. Normally, inertial lift propels large particles toward the equilibrium position of the flow channel cross section (usually near the central axis of the flow channel or a stable region away from the wall) to offset the Dean force. However, in the aforementioned target curved flow channel, the design of the obstruction column decomposes the vortex, thereby significantly reducing the Dean force and further increasing the gap between the Dean force and the inertial lift. This allows large particles to gradually move toward the outside of the flow channel (i.e., in the direction opposite to the center of curvature) under the action of inertial lift until they reach near the flow channel wall. The larger the particle, the greater the inertial lift, and the closer the particles are to the outside of the flow channel after final stratification.

[0054] From the above analysis, it can be seen that the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification can achieve the sorting operation of large and small particles more accurately.

[0055] In order to verify the effect of the target curved flow channel on the path of large particles, the inventors conducted experimental verification. Figure 7 This image, captured by a high-speed camera, shows a large particle solution flowing from one end of an obstacle array in a target curved flow channel. Numerous filamentous patterns can be seen to the left of the obstacle array, representing the moving large particles. The large particles are distributed throughout the width of the channel. Figure 8 This is an image taken by a high-speed camera when a large particle solution passes through an array of obstacle columns in a target curved flow channel. The filamentous pattern in the red circle is an image of the large particles in motion. Figure 7 and Figure 8 It can be seen that the large particle solution will gather toward the outside of the target curved flow channel (i.e., in the opposite direction of the center of curvature) after passing through a section of obstacle column array.

[0056] It should be noted that Figure 7 and Figure 8 The clear black blocks in the middle are impurities in the solution. Some large impurities are stuck between the barrier columns and cannot move, so the image is clear.

[0057] On the other hand, contrast Figure 5 and Figure 6 It can also be found that compared to existing deterministic lateral displacement chips, the particle solution can increase the travel distance of large and small particles by one row by passing through fewer columns in the target curved flow channel. In other words, large and small particles can be separated more quickly in the target curved flow channel, thereby shortening the flow channel length and reducing the area occupied by the flow channel. Furthermore, when the target curved flow channel is a flat spiral flow channel, the compact structure of the spiral flow channel enables the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification to achieve sorting of particles of different particle sizes while occupying a minimal area.

[0058] It's important to note that after the barrier array decomposes the eddies, the decomposed eddies will disturb the particle solution near the barrier, creating a shearing effect on sticky particles, thereby separating them and further enabling sorting. This demonstrates that the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification can also efficiently sort sticky particles.

[0059] Compared with the existing spiral microfluidic channel, since the target curved flow channel provided in this specification is provided with an array of obstacle columns, larger impurity particles (the particle size of the impurity particles is larger than the spacing between the obstacle columns) can be stuck, so that the sorting results of larger particles are not affected by impurities; for smaller impurity particles, the Dean force causes them to gather toward the inside of the target curved flow channel, while large particles gather toward the outside of the target curved flow channel (i.e., in the opposite direction of the center of curvature). Therefore, the solution of the larger particles sorted out will have neither large impurity particles nor small impurity particles, thereby improving the purity of the larger particles sorted out to a certain extent.

[0060] From the above, it can be seen that the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification sets an obstacle column array formed by a plurality of orderly arranged obstacle columns in a target curved flow channel with a curvature greater than 0 and curved toward one side, so that the length of the flow channel is shortened and the area occupied by the flow channel is reduced without losing the accuracy of particle sorting; further, when the target curved flow channel is a flat spiral flow channel, the compact structure of the spiral flow channel enables the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification to achieve the sorting of particles of different particle sizes while occupying the minimum area. In addition, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip provided in this specification can achieve efficient sorting of sticky particles, and can also achieve accurate sorting of larger particles and filter out impurities in particle solutions with impurities.

[0061] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip can be prepared by: etching a target pattern on a substrate, wherein the target pattern is a curved groove with an obstacle column inside, and the curvature of the curved groove is greater than 0 and bends toward one side of the curve; and setting a cover plate on the substrate etched with the target pattern.

[0062] The two etched walls of the curved groove (not parallel to the substrate surface) are the two side walls of the target curved flow channel.

[0063] In some embodiments, at least two outlet flow channels are provided at the solution outlet of the target curved flow channel, and the at least two outlet flow channels are respectively used to guide out solutions of particles with different particle sizes.

[0064] When the target curved flow channel is a planar spiral flow channel, the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel can be set near the center of the spiral, and the solution outlet is located outside the spiral; or the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel is located outside the spiral, and the solution outlet is set near the center of the spiral.

[0065] In some embodiments, at least one side solution outlet is sequentially provided on a side wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature along the flow direction of the particle solution. The main solution outlet refers to the solution outlet at the end of the target curved flow channel, and the side solution outlet is provided on the outside of the flow channel at the curved portion of the target curved flow channel. Figure 9 As shown, multiple branch solution outlets can be sequentially provided on the outermost wall surface of the outermost circle of the spiral curved flow channel, wherein the "outermost edge" refers to the wall surface on one side of the flow channel away from the center of curvature.

[0066] By setting multiple solution outlets in sequence along the flow direction of the particle solution on the side wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature, the largest particles that are gathered and sorted at the outermost side in a laminar flow manner can be diverted out in advance, providing flow channel width space for the sorting of particles of other particle sizes, thereby gradually improving the sorting accuracy of particles of other particle sizes.

[0067] For example, without setting multiple side solution outlets, the width L of the flow channel outlet is used to sort particles of 5 particle sizes, and each particle occupies 1 / 5 of the width on average; after setting the side solution outlet to guide out the sorted particles of the largest particle size that are gathered at the outermost side in a laminar flow manner in advance, the remaining largest particles in the particle solution can continue to move toward the side wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature, and gather at the outermost side of the flow channel to form a laminar flow, thereby driving the remaining 4 particle sizes to redistribute the width space in the flow channel; the 4 particle sizes occupy the flow channel width L, on average Each particle occupies L / 4 of the width; after the remaining largest particles that have been sorted and gathered at the outermost side in a laminar flow manner are led out in advance, the remaining largest particles in the particle solution can continue to move toward the wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature, and gather at the outermost side of the flow channel to form a laminar flow, thereby driving the remaining three types of particles to redistribute the width space in the flow channel; the three types of particles occupy the flow channel width L, and each particle occupies an average of L / 3 of the width... and so on, gradually increasing the flow channel width space occupied by the remaining particles, thereby gradually improving the sorting accuracy of the remaining particles.

[0068] This specification provides an application method of an arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip, which is used for any of the above-mentioned arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chips, wherein the target curve flow channel of the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip has at least one solution inlet and at least two solution outlets; the method comprises: introducing a solution of particles to be processed into the solution inlet of the target curve flow channel, collecting waste liquid from the first solution outlet of the target curve flow channel, and collecting a solution of target particles from at least one other solution outlet of the target curve flow channel; wherein the solution of particles to be processed contains at least one particle.

[0069] When the particle solution to be processed includes one type of particle, the particle solution is concentrated using the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip. In other words, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip can be used for particle concentration.

[0070] When the particle solution to be processed includes two or more particles, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip is used to separate the target particles from the particle solution to be processed. In other words, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip can be used for particle separation.

[0071] In some embodiments, at least one side solution outlet is provided on a side wall of the target curved flow channel, away from the center of curvature, along the direction of particle solution flow. Accordingly, the application method of the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip further includes: blocking each side solution outlet, opening the main solution outlet, and injecting particles to be processed from the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel; and for any of the side solution outlets, upon observing that the particle solution purity at the target side solution outlet has reached a target, opening the target side solution outlet.

[0072] By setting each side branch solution outlet to open only when the purity of the particle solution near it reaches the target, each side branch solution outlet can be used to discharge the target particle solution with higher purity in advance. Furthermore, the flow channel width occupied by the remaining particles can be gradually increased, thereby gradually improving the sorting accuracy of the remaining particles. The principle of improving the sorting accuracy of the remaining particles can be referred to above.

[0073] In some embodiments, at least one side branch solution outlet is disposed on a side wall of the target curved flow channel, away from the center of curvature, along the direction of particle solution flow. Accordingly, the application method of the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip further includes: blocking each side branch solution outlet, opening the main solution outlet, and injecting particles to be processed from the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel; and, for any of the side branch solution outlets, opening the target side branch solution outlet if the particle solution at the target side branch solution outlet is observed to contain no target particles.

[0074] By setting each side branch solution outlet to open when the particle solution near it does not contain target particles, each side branch solution outlet can be used to discharge non-target particle solution in advance, gradually increasing the proportion of target particles in the remaining particle solution, thereby gradually improving the concentration and purity of the target particles. It can also gradually increase the flow channel width occupied by the remaining particles, thereby gradually improving the sorting accuracy of the remaining particles. The principle of improving the sorting accuracy of the remaining particles can be referred to above.

[0075] The foregoing description is merely an example of one or more embodiments of this specification and is not intended to limit the one or more embodiments of this specification. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations of one or more embodiments of this specification are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this specification are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip, characterized in that: include: a target curved flow channel, wherein the target curved flow channel is a curve having a curvature greater than 0 and bending toward one side; An obstacle column array is arranged inside the target curved flow channel; the obstacle column array includes a plurality of obstacle columns arranged in an orderly manner, and when a particle solution flows through the obstacle column array, particles of different sizes follow different paths.

2. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target curved flow channel is a plane spiral flow channel having more than one turn of flow channels.

3. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The solution inlet of the target curved flow channel is arranged near the center of the spiral, and the solution outlet is located outside the spiral; or, The solution inlet of the target curved flow channel is located outside the spiral, and the solution outlet is arranged near the center of the spiral.

4. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least two outlet flow channels are provided at the solution outlet of the target curved flow channel, and the at least two outlet flow channels are used to flow out solutions of particles with different particle sizes.

5. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The obstacle columns in the obstacle column array are arranged in rows and columns, wherein: The direction of the row is the direction of the parallel lines along the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel, and the direction of the column is the direction of the perpendicular lines along the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel.

6. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The arrangement direction of any column of obstacle columns in the obstacle column array forms a preset angle with a perpendicular line of the walls on both sides of the target curved flow channel at the column of obstacle columns, and the preset angle is located on the side of the perpendicular line facing the flow direction of the particle solution.

7. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to claim 6, characterized in that: The preset angle is 8-10°.

8. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target curved flow channel changes at least one of the following parameters along the flow direction of the particle solution: row spacing, column spacing, column inclination angle, cross-sectional shape of the obstacle column, and size used to represent the thickness of the obstacle column.

9. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip is prepared by the following method: Etching a target pattern on a substrate, wherein the target pattern is a curved groove with an obstacle column inside, wherein the curvature of the curved groove is greater than 0 and is bent toward one side of the curve; A cover plate is placed on the substrate on which the target pattern is etched.

10. The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: On a side wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature, at least one side branch solution outlet is sequentially arranged along the flow direction of the particle solution.

11. An application method of an arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip, characterized in that: The arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the target curved flow channel of the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip has at least one solution inlet and at least two solution outlets; The method comprises: A particle solution to be processed is introduced into the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel, waste liquid is collected from the first solution outlet of the target curved flow channel, and a target particle solution is collected from at least one other solution outlet of the target curved flow channel; wherein the particle solution to be processed contains at least one particle.

12. The application method according to claim 11, characterized in that: In the case where the particle solution to be processed includes one type of particle, the particle solution is concentrated using the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip; In the case where the particle solution to be processed includes two or more particles, the arc-shaped deterministic lateral displacement chip is used to separate the target particles from the particle solution to be processed.

13. The application method according to claim 11, characterized in that: On a side wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature, at least one side branch solution outlet is sequentially provided along the flow direction of the particle solution; the method further comprising: Block the outlets of each side solution, open the outlet of the main solution, and inject the particles to be treated from the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel; For any one of the side branch solution outlets, when it is observed that the purity of the particle solution at the target side branch solution outlet reaches the target, the target side branch solution outlet is opened.

14. The application method according to claim 11, characterized in that: On a side wall of the target curved flow channel away from the center of curvature, at least one side branch solution outlet is sequentially provided along the flow direction of the particle solution; the method further comprising: Block the outlets of each side solution, open the outlet of the main solution, and inject the particles to be treated from the solution inlet of the target curved flow channel; For any one of the side branch solution outlets, when it is observed that the particle solution at the target side branch solution outlet does not contain target particles, the target side branch solution outlet is opened.

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