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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Separating Beads and Cells in Multi-channel Microfluidic Devices Using Dielectrophoresis and Laminar Flow
Published on: February 4, 2011
Negative dielectrophoresis-based particle separation by size in a serpentine microchannel
Christopher Church1, Junjie Zhu, Xiangchun Xuan
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.
Abstract:
Dielectrophoresis has been widely used to focus, trap, concentrate, and sort particles in microfluidic devices. This work demonstrates a continuous separation of particles by size in a serpentine microchannel using negative dielectrophoresis. Depending on the magnitude of the turn-induced dielectrophoretic force, particles travelling electrokinetically through a serpentine channel either migrate toward the centerline or bounce between the two sidewalls. These distinctive focusing and bouncing phenomena are utilized to implement a dielectrophoretic separation of 1 and 3 μm polystyrene particles under a DC-biased AC electric field of 880 V/cm on average. The particle separation process in the entire microchannel is simulated by a numerical model.
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