Devices and methods for separating particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9873126-B2
Application number	US-201615290700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2016
Priority date	May 18, 2012
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for devices, methods for separating particles, and the like.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for separating particles from a liquid comprising a magnetic fluid and at least two types of particles having different volumes, the method comprising:
flowing the liquid down a channel having two or more outlets in fluidic communication with the channel;
exposing the magnetic fluid to a non-uniform magnetic force to control the non-uniform magnetic force exerted on the particles and magnetic buoyancy force experienced by the particles; and
separating the at least two types of particles into different outlets of the two or more outlets based on the magnetic buoyancy force and the volume of the particles;
wherein the particles are cells.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least two types of particles are separated at a rate of about 10 6 particles per hour to about 10 9 particles per hour.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells are selected from the group consisting of bacterial cells, yeast cells, blood cells, cancer cells, neural cells, and sperm cells.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the cells has a volume of 5 μm 3 to 3000 μm 3 .

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particles are separated based upon a difference in the magnetic buoyancy force experienced due to the different volumes of the particles.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel has two or more fluid inlets in fluidic communication with the channel,
wherein the method further comprises flowing the at least two types of particles through a first fluid inlet and flowing the magnetic fluid through a second fluid inlet to form the liquid.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first fluid inlet includes at least two turns prior to the channel.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel includes three or more outlets for separating particles based upon the different volumes.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel has a tapered diameter along a portion of the length of the channel.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a magnet disposed on one side of the channel generates the non-uniform magnetic force.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the magnet is a permanent magnet.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic fluid is a colloidal mixture of nano-size magnetic particles covered by a surfactant.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the nano-size magnetic particles have a diameter of 5 nm to 10 nm.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic fluid is a ferrofluid, a paramagnetic solution, or a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Univ Georgia

Inventors

• Mao Leidong
• Zhu Taotao
• Eiteman Mark A

Classifications

• B03C1/32

  acting on the medium containing the substance being separated, e.g. magneto-gravimetric-, magnetohydrostatic-, or magnetohydrodynamic separation · CPC title

• B03C2201/18

  Magnetic separation whereby the particles are suspended in a liquid · CPC title

• B03C2201/26

  for use in medical or biological applications · CPC title

• B03C1/288 Primary

  disposed at the outer circumference of a recipient · CPC title

• G01N27/74

  of fluids (G01N24/00 takes precedence) · CPC title