Using numerical simulations, we study the separation of deformable bodies, such as capsules, vesicles, and cells, in deterministic lateral displacement devices, also known as bump arrays. These arrays comprise regular rows of obstacles such as micropillars whose arrangements are shifted between adjacent rows by a fixed amount. We show that, in addition to the zigzag and laterally displaced trajectories that have been observed experimentally, there exists a third type of trajectory which we call dispersive, characterized by seemingly random bumpings off the micropillars. These dispersive trajectories are observed only for large and rigid particles whose diameters are approximately more than half the gap size between micropillars and whose stiffness exceeds approximately $500$ MPa. We then map out the regions in phase space, spanned by the row shift, row separation, particle diameter, and particle deformability, in which the different types of trajectories are expected. We also show that, in this phase space, it is possible to transition from zigzag to dispersive trajectories, bypassing lateral displacement. Experimentally, this is undesirable because it limits the ability of the device to sort particles according to size. Finally, we discuss how our numerical simulations may be of use in device prototyping and optimization.

• Received 11 October 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.83.056301