Inertia-Induced Breakdown of Acoustic Sorting Efficiency at High Flow Rates

The clinical utility of microfluidic techniques is often hampered by an unsatisfying sample throughput. Here, the effect of inertial forces on acoustofluidic particle sorting at high sample throughputs is investigated experimentally and theoretically. Polystyrene particles are acoustically prefocused to obtain precise trajectories. At increased flow rates it is observed that the particle stream is displaced towards the channel center, and above specific flow settings the particles spill over into the center outlet. This effect, coined the spillover effect, illustrates the complex interplay of viscous and inertial forces inside the microchannel. The effect is due to increased bending of the separatrices at the inlet and outlets and not due to the wall-lift force. The impact of the spillover effect on the separation of two different-sized particles is subsequently studied. Efficient sorting is done for subcritical splitting ratios and flow rates, but for close to critical settings or beyond, there is a breakdown of the acoustofluidic separation.