Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Label-free Isolation and Enrichment of Cells Through Contactless Dielectrophoresis
Published on: September 3, 2013
Force characterization of dielectrophoresis in droplet transport
Patrick M Young1, Kamran Mohseni
1Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0429, USA.
Abstract:
Transporting microdroplets using electric fields can be accomplished with several mechanisms, the primary methods being dielectrophoresis (DEP) for electrically insulating liquids, and electrowetting on dielectric for conducting fluids. In both cases, an electric field is applied near the leading edge of the droplet using patterned electrodes, giving rise to an electrostatic pressure that induces droplet transport. This paper examines the nature of the force distribution for DEP-actuated droplets in several electrode configurations, calculated using a numerical method designed for handling jump conditions in the Poisson equation. The numerical method is described and verified by comparison with known analytical results. The net force acting upon a DEP droplet is investigated, with the effect of electrode configuration presented for several cases, demonstrating some beneficial aspects for engineering applications.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Electrophoresis: Overview
There...
Theory of Strong Electrolytes
Capillary Electrophoresis: Instrumentation
Capillary Electrophoresis: Applications
Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separates ionic components based on their electrophoretic mobility. It has been used to separate proteins, amino acids,...
Two-dimensional Gel Electrophoresis
The first dimension separation uses the isoelectric focusing or IEF technique performed on immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips that separate proteins according to their isoelectric points.
Biological samples, such as cells...
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity.

