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This paper presents a novel type of centrifugation device that is based on the two-layer laminar flow in micro flow channels for continuous blood cell/plasma separation. We propose to rotate the flow channels which are arranged along the circumference around the rotational axis. Downsizing the channel width reduced both the cell sedimentation time and the required centrifugal force, because the channel width corresponds to the centrifugal sedimentation length. First, plasma and cells were continuously extracted from pig blood in each of the branch channels using a milled acrylic prototype device (channel width = 800 µm, volume = 150 µl). Next, the relationship between the channel width (125, 250, and 500 µm) and the sedimentation time taken for various centrifugal forces (2.3, 9, 36, and 145 G) was evaluated using the downsized microchannels fabricated by hot-embossing and thermal bonding technologies. Using downsized microchannels with a width of 125 µm successfully reduced the sedimentation time to 85 s as compared to the sedimentation time of 270 s for a channel of a width of 500 µm, when a centrifugal force of 2.3 G was applied. The use of the proposed device did not result in obvious hemolysis at the centrifugal forces lower than 335 G.

The crystal growth of lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) thin films was examined by applying the laser molecular beam epitaxy (laser MBE) process. C-axis (100) highly-oriented LaB6 thin films could be fabricated on ultrasmooth sapphire (α-Al2O3 single crystal) (0001) substrates with atomic steps of 0.2 nm in height and atomically flat terraces. The obtained film exhibited a smooth surface with root mean square roughness of 0.15 nm. The lattice parameter of the LaB6 thin film was close to the bulk value reported previously. In the case of deposition on commercial mirror-polished sapphire substrates, the grown film was amorphous. The resistivity of the prepared crystalline LaB6 thin films was as low as 2.2 × 10−4 Ω cm and almost constant in the temperature range of 10–300 K.

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