Patent ID: 7947186

Claim:
A rotor for centrifugal separation of a composite fluid into components comprising: a generally disc-shaped container housing having a spin axis, the container housing extending radially outwardly from the spin axis to an outer perimeter and rotatable about the spin axis to effect centrifugal separation of the composite fluid, and an aperture in an upper surface of the housing; a peripheral collection chamber within the housing and disposed radially outwardly from the spin axis toward the outer perimeter of the container housing; a central collection chamber within the housing and located centrally about the spin axis and in fluid communication with the peripheral collection chamber, the collection chamber having a downwardly sloping inner surface and a closed bottom; the inner surface including at least one hydrophobic area having a first surface energy sufficiently low to provide a flow path for a lower density fluid component to flow to the closed bottom, and at least one hydrophilic area having a second surface energy greater than the first surface energy; and a separating material comprising a thixotropic gel disposed within the peripheral collection chamber and having a volume and density sufficient to form a barrier between the components of the composite fluid during centrifugal separation.