Tetris with microparticles

Tetris with microparticles

Researchers of the faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering have developed a technique for selectively separating microparticles in a liquid on the basis of their shape. The technique calculates precisely the path that a specifically shaped microparticle will follow in a flow through a narrow tube. This makes it possible to set up a sorting channel, in which the differently shaped particles each find their own way. The new technique, which was published on 9 September in the journal PNAS, can be used in a range of sectors, for example in the manufacture of medicines or removing microplastics from water.