Fig. 3: Model and operation of P-FS for bacterial enrichment.

a Image of the P-FS device, highlighting the key components: (1) Sample inlet, (2) Chamber, (3) Plasmonic membrane, (4) Reservoir, (5) Absorption pad, (6) Vent, and (7) Bearing. An inset shows a magnified view of the plasmonic membrane. Scale bar 500 µm. b Schematic diagram of the P-FS device, color-coded to match the key components listed in (a). c Sequence showing the operation of the P-FS for spinning and enriching bacteria. The left image shows the device pre-spin, the middle image shows the device during spinning, and the right image shows the device post-spin. d Diagram illustrating the difference between two scenarios: (left) the conventional way where the chamber was filled with air; (right) before the spinning, the drainage chamber was filled with buffer creating uniform filtration across the membrane area that minimizes the hydrodynamic resistance during spinning and the distribution of bacteria was uniform on the membrane filter (FAST). e Scatter plot depicting the maximum angular velocity (ω_max) achieved by ten different operators during spinning, measured in rad/s. The plot shows the distribution of ω_max across multiple trials, with one, two, and three or more spins indicated by different shades. Horizontal lines represent the average ω_max for each operator. (All operators, n = 10)