Dielectrophoretic columnar focusing device
| DWPI Title: Dielectrophoretic columnar focusing device for process applications has applicator that applies differential alternating current electrical potential between two opposing microelectrode fingers to generate cylindrical potential well |
| Abstract: A dielectrophoretic columnar focusing device uses interdigitated microelectrodes to provide a spatially non-uniform electric field in a fluid that generates a dipole within particles in the fluid. The electric field causes the particles to either be attracted to or repelled from regions where the electric field gradient is large, depending on whether the particles are more or less polarizable than the fluid. The particles can thereby be forced into well defined stable paths along the interdigitated microelectrodes. The device can be used for flow cytometry, particle control, and other process applications, including cell counting or other types of particle counting, and for separations in material control. |
| Use: Dielectrophoretic columnar focusing device for process applications. Uses include but are not limited to flow cytometry, particle control, cell counting or other types of particle counting, or particle separations in material control. |
| Advantage: Eliminates need for adding sheath flow of fluid required to focus particles to a thin-core fluid streamline in hydrodynamic-focusing-based flow cytometry systems by using dielectrophoresis to position the particles in a cylindrical potential well that minimizes dispersion in particle velocity throughout the cross-section of a microfluidic channel. Simplifies particle counting and detection since particles are confined to the same streamline and travel at the same velocity. Focusing is easy to control with the DEP device since focusing can be turned on or off simply by applying voltage to the configuration of microelectrodes. Eliminates generation of electrolysis bubbles and corrosion effects and enables precise tuning of the DEP force to particular particle in question by using megahertz frequency voltages. The use of repulsive DEP force in the fluid above the interdigitated microelectrodes provides a dynamic stability with the downward gravitational force on the particle. |
| Novelty: A dielectrophoretic (DEP) columnar focusing device (20) has fluid with at least one particle and set in electromagnetic contact with the set of interdigitated microelectrodes (21,24); and applicator that applies differential alternating current electrical potential between at least two opposing microelectrode fingers (22,25) to generate at least one cylindrical potential well in longitudinal direction in the fluid, thus polarizing at least one particle and causing polarized particle to move toward or away from at least one cylindrical potential well in response to gradient in electric field. |
| Filed: 4/11/2006 |
| Application Number: US2006401714A |
| Tech ID: SD 10152.0 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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