Squeezing multiple soft particles into a constriction: Transition to clogging

Clément Bielinski, Othmane Aouane, Jens Harting, and Badr Kaoui
Phys. Rev. E 104, 065101 – Published 3 December 2021
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Abstract

We study numerically how multiple deformable capsules squeeze into a constriction. This situation is largely encountered in microfluidic chips designed to manipulate living cells, which are soft entities. We use fully three-dimensional simulations based on the lattice Boltzmann method to compute the flow of the suspending fluid and on the immersed boundary method to achieve the two-way fluid-structure interaction. The mechanics of the capsule membrane elasticity is computed with the finite-element method. We obtain two main states: continuous passage of the particles and their blockage that leads to clogging the constriction. The transition from one state to another is dictated by the ratio between the size of the capsules and the constriction width and by the capsule membrane deformability. The latter is found to enhance particle passage through narrower constrictions, where rigid particles with similar diameter are blocked and lead to clogging.

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  • Received 21 June 2021
  • Accepted 15 November 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.104.065101

©2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Polymers & Soft Matter

Authors & Affiliations

Clément Bielinski1, Othmane Aouane2, Jens Harting2,3, and Badr Kaoui1,*

  • 1Biomechanics and Bioengineering Laboratory, CNRS, Université de Technologie de Compiègne, 60200 Compiègne, France
  • 2Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
  • 3Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

  • *badr.kaoui@utc.fr

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Issue

Vol. 104, Iss. 6 — December 2021

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