Patent ID: 8088282

Claim:
An apparatus comprising first and second substrates, each of the substrates having a surface containing an array of at least about 1000 open, nanoscale channels disposed therein, the surfaces attached such that each of the channels of the first substrate is in fluid communication with two of the channels of the second substrate, each of the channels of the second substrate is in fluid communication with two of the channels of the first substrate, and the channels of the first substrate are misaligned at an angle of about 0.05 degrees to about 45 degrees relative to the channels of the second substrate, wherein the fluid communication between channels creates a continuous nonlinear pathway capable of causing a fluid to flow alternatingly between a channel of the first substrate and a channel of the second substrate about 1000 times, and wherein the apparatus is capable of causing the separation of components a fluid that passes through the apparatus into at least three fractions, wherein the fluid comprises at least three components that differ in size and shape, wherein each of the fractions comprises a major portion that comprises components having similar size and shape and that is substantially free of components having a different size and shape, and wherein the size and shape of the major portion of components of each of the three fractions is different from the size and shape of the major portions of the components of the other fractions.