Processing and analysis of motion-blur images in light scattering flow cytometry

Light scattering flow cytometry has been demonstrated for label-free particle and cell analysis. The high-throughput imaging of cells or particles in flow cytometry is fundamentally challenging as motion blur may occur for weak-light measurements. Here we perform light scattering measurements on 3.87 μm and 4.19 μm microparticles in diameters with our light scattering flow cytometer. Two-dimensional (2D) light scattering patterns are imaged by a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. The hydrodynamic focusing effect is studied for better high-throughput measurements. Motion-blur images are obtained at 2.4 mm/s flow rate with 10 ms exposure time, and a deblurring algorithm is adopted for analysis. The experimental 2D light scattering patterns agree well with the Mie theory simulation. Moreover, the number of 3.87 μm and 4.19 μm microparticles in flow can be determined, where the error is less than 5% compared with the theoretical results.