Bidirectional field-flow particle separation method in a dielectrophoretic chip with 3D electrodes

Abstract

This paper proposes a bidirectional field-flow separation method in a dielectrophoretic chip with 3D electrode array. The 3D electrodes structure is used not only for generation of an uniform dielectric force across the microfluidic channel but also for achieving a gradient of the fluid velocity (and in this way a variable hydrodynamic force) in the microfluidic device. The methodology is as follows: first the solution with the mixture of two particle population is injected into the microfluidic chamber; next the two populations are separated in different locations according to their electrical properties; subsequently, one population is collected at one of the outlet by flowing a fresh buffer solution while the other one is collected at the second outlet in the perpendicular direction. The device has been tested successfully with viable and non-viable yeast cells. ©2007 IEEE.