(72e) Microfluidic Continuous Particle Separation BASED ON Electrical Properties Via AC-Dielectrophoresis

In this study, we are presenting a novel, simple microfluidic based lab-on-a-chip device for the continuous separation of particles according to their electrical properties by using AC-Dielectrophoresis. The device is composed of a straight rectangular channel connecting two inlet reservoirs with the two exit reservoirs. The main flow is induced by the pressure difference between the inlet and the exit reservoirs. The dielectrophoretic separation is achieved by a hybrid design using a PDMS (poly-dimethylsiloxane) hurdle and a pair of embedded metal electrodes to generate localized non-uniform AC electric field. The hurdle geometry is optimized to get the best performance for the separation. Particle trajectories are simulated by using Lagrangian tracking method and the experimental verification of the simulations are performed by using latex particles.