The transport and deformation of blood cells in micro-channel

The transport and deformability of erythrocyte (RBC) and leukocyte (WBC) play great roles in both microcirculation in vivo and blood cell diagnosis. This paper used the microfabricated chips to study the transport and deformation of blood cells in typical sized rectangular microchannels. The test microchannel chips were fabricated by standard photolithography, ICP etching, and anode bonding with silicon wafers and glass covers. Flow field was magnified by an upright microscopy and images were captured by a high speed CCD camera. With a special designed image processing software, the images were filtered, enhanced, and edge detected for different purposes. The experiment results showed that the move and distribution of WBC in microchannel were significantly influenced by flow velocity, hematocrit, and other factors. The RBC occupy the center of channel and deform themselves to pass the narrow section of channel, in contrast to leukocyte, which deformed slightly and blocked the narrow section frequently. The measured results depicted that the deformability of blood cells subjected to many factors. This will be helpful in the design of blood cell separation devices and Keywords-