In this work, a dielectrophoresis-based particle-separation device is developed which is to be used to continuously separate particles in microchannels. We fabricated the particle-separation device with combining the benefits of electrode-based DEP an...
In this work, a dielectrophoresis-based particle-separation device is developed which is to be used to continuously separate particles in microchannels. We fabricated the particle-separation device with combining the benefits of electrode-based DEP and insulator-based DEP. The DEP forces are generated by an array of electrodes located in both sidewalls of a main channel. According to the magnitude and frequency of electrical signals, particles with different dielectric properties experience different DEP forces, and therefore, continuously move along different streamlines in the main flow channel without need of pre-focusing process. Based on this mechanism, we examined the performance of the device by controlling the trajectory of polystyrene particles. This device is applicable to the investigation of dielectric properties of biological cells as well as the continuous separation of biological cells.