Electrode surface ratio optimization for thermal performance in 3-D dielectrophoretic single-cell traps

We present a systematic numerical analysis of the thermal properties of dielectrophoretic single-cell traps. The influence of the thermal conductivity of the wall material is investigated, as well as the influence of the electrical conductivity of the liquid and the applied potential. We also explore the effect of the electrode geometry on the thermal properties of the trap. We show that substrates with thermal conductivities smaller than 100 W/mK can affect significantly the temperature increase inside the traps. Our results also show, for the first time, that for flat electrodes there is an optimum electrode to trap surface area ratio for which the ratio of temperature increase in the liquid to dielectrophoretic force on a particle can be minimized. This result will be useful in the future development of optimized dielectrophoretic traps.