Abstract
Optoelectronic tweezers (OET) are a promising technique for the realization of reconfigurable systems suitable to trap and manipulate microparticles. In particular, dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces produced by OET represent a valid alternative to micro-fabricated metal electrodes, as strong and spatially reconfigurable electrical fields can be induced in a photoconductive layer by means of light-driven phenomena. In this paper we report, and compare with the experimental data, the results obtained by analyzing the spatial configurations of the DEP-forces produced by a 532 nm laser beam, with Gaussian intensity distribution, impinging on a Fe-doped Lithium Niobate substrate. Furthermore, we also present a promising preliminary result for water-droplets trapping, which could open the way to the application of this technique to biological samples manipulation.
Highlights
Particle manipulation techniques are fundamental in many research fields, from biology to chemistry or electrical engineering
It is well known that a non-uniform static electric field produces a DEP force FDEP on neutral homogeneous spherical particles immersed in a lossless dielectric fluid given by the following equation [31]: FDEP = 2πε m r
The PMMA microspheres in paraffin oil suspension are attracted to the bottom and top of the
Summary
Particle manipulation techniques are fundamental in many research fields, from biology to chemistry or electrical engineering. In the last few years, Stokes trapping has been developed to provide a purely hydrodynamic trapping method, allowing for particle manipulation in solution without need of optical, electric, acoustic, or magnetic fields [8]. Those techniques are generally best suited for single-particle manipulation, whereas many applications, would greatly benefit from the realization of arrays of traps for multiple-particles parallel manipulation. For this reason, in recent years, the possibility to trap and handle objects with electrophoretic and dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces was investigated [9]. In particular DEP forces, Crystals 2016, 6, 123; doi:10.3390/cryst6100123 www.mdpi.com/journal/crystals
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