Microfluidic device for inducing separations by freezing and associated method

A method for separating a constituent element from a fluidic sample, the method comprising:

• providing a fluidic device comprising a fluidic channel and an actuation module including Peltier devices operatively interfaced with the fluidic channel, the fluidic channel having a length and a width;
• introducing a portion of a fluidic sample into the fluidic channel in the fluidic device;
• by the Peltier devices, freezing different sectors of the portion of the fluidic sample across the width of the fluidic channel at different times than one another, the freezing of the different sectors at the different times causing fractional exclusion of a constituent element from at least one of the sectors and concentration of the fractionally excluded constituent element within at least one other of the sectors;
• removing the fractionally excluded constituent element from the fluidic channel, wherein the remaining sectors of the fluidic sample from which the constituent element has been fractionally excluded include a purified fluidic sample;
• and
• removing the purified fluidic sample from the fluidic channel such that the removed purified fluidic sample remains substantially separated from the removed fractionally excluded constituent element.