Thermophoresis as a technique for separation of nanoparticle species in microfluidic devices

Abstract

This paper presents numerical studies of thermophoresis approach for separation of nanoparticles in liquid media. We simulated the thermophoresis process to test it as a method of separation of particles in suspension. At the same time, the specific software was appraised to establish whether it would meet the computational challenge. Then, a microfluidic device designed to separate different species of nanoparticles using thermal gradients was conceptualised. We used a theoretical nanoparticle species with diameters ranging between 40 and 250 nm. Different geometrical models, temperature gradients and entry flows were simulated to analyse their effect on the separation of nanoparticle species. On the basis of our results, we formulated a proposal for construction of efficient nanoparticle separation device.