Tracking Microparticles Subjected to Dielectrophoresis in a Continuous Flow Microdevice

Abstract

This article details the development of a two-dimensional model for tracking microparticles subjected to dielectrophoresis in a continuous flow microdevice. The electric field is generated by interdigitated transducer electrodes placed on the bottom of the microchannel. The motion of the microparticles and the electric potential inside the microchannel are described using Newton’s 2nd law and Laplace equation, respectively. The governing equations are solved using finite difference method. The model accounts for forces such as inertia, drag and dielectrophoresis. The model is used for parametric study in this article; the parameters considered include microparticle radii, actuation voltage, microchannel height and volumetric flow rate. From the parametric study it is observed that the trajectory of microparticles depends on all these parameters though only the actuation voltage, among these parameters, influences the steady state levitation height.