Electrodeformation and transport of sub-micron vesicles in a microfluidic device

Viral infection changes cell morphology and mechanical properties. Thus, mechanical characteristics of cells and other sub-micron vesicles, such as virus and neurotransmitters can be used to identify the extent of infection. In recent years, electrodeformation of vesicles suspended in a fluid medium has opened the way to study the deformation at a very small scale. The response of the vesicle is strongly influenced by the conductivity of surrounding fluid, vesicle size and shape, and the inherent charge of the vesicle. We studied the electrodeformation and transport of charged vesicles in a microfluidic device under a DC electric field. The electric field, flow field, and associated vesicle deformation are resolved with a hybrid immersed resolved technique. Force analysis on the membrane surface reveals linear scaling with vesicle size, but non-linear influence on initial shape of vesicles. Modeling results reveals that area averaged conductivity can be used to track the location and deformation of vesicles at any time. Moreover, electrodeformation of vesicles can be used to create unique external flows depending on the vesicle size, shape, and charge as well as electrical characteristics of the microchannel wall.