High-throughput Cell Sorter with Piezoelectric Actuation.

Currently, most of the integrated sorting modules in the microfabricated DEP-based and fluorescent-activated cell sorters (μFACS) still suffer from low-throughput operation and require complex fabrication process (e.g. embedded electrodes) and high power consumption (e.g. electrokinetically-driven sorters). In this paper, we demonstrate an easy-to-fabricate, low-powered and high-speed sorting module (at a single cell level) using an on-chip integrated piezoelectric (PZT) actuator. By controlling the bending motion of the PZT actuator, we have investigated and verified the high-speed flow-switching and sorting capabilities both theoretically (dynamic simulation) and experimentally using beads and biological agents.