Dielectrophoresis: Developments and applications from 2010 to 2020

Abstract

The 20th century has seen tremendous innovation of dielectrophoresis (DEP) technologies, with applications being developed in areas ranging from industrial processing to micro‐ and nanoscale biotechnology. From 2010 to present day, there have been 981 publications about DEP. Of over 2600 DEP patents held by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 106 were filed in 2019 alone. This review focuses on DEP‐based technologies and application developments between 2010 and 2020, with an aim to highlight the progress and to identify potential areas for future research. A major trend over the last 10 years has been the use of DEP techniques for biological and clinical applications. It has been used in various forms on a diverse array of biologically derived molecules and particles to manipulate and study them including proteins, exosomes, bacteria, yeast, stem cells, cancer cells, and blood cells. DEP has also been used to manipulate nano‐ and micron‐sized particles in order to fabricate different structures. The next 10 years are likely to see the increase in DEP‐related patent applications begin to result in a greater level of technology commercialization. Also during this time, innovations in DEP technology will likely be leveraged to continue the existing trend to further biological and medical‐focused applications as well as applications in microfabrication. As a tool leveraged by engineering and imaginative scientific design, DEP offers unique capabilities to manipulate small particles in precise ways that can help solve problems and enable scientific inquiry that cannot be addressed using conventional methods.

Fluid-Screen as a real time dielectrophoretic method for universal microbial capture

“…Moreover, the PCM can only count and detect metabolically active cells that are capable of cell division. There is a need for new technologies that allow for faster microbial detection and assessment of microbial contamination.Dielectrophoresis (DEP) has shown great promise for particle separation for decades (see excellent reviews [3][4][5] ). Several DEP systems show promising potential applications in medical sciences, including drug delivery or cancer diagnostics [6][7][8][9][10][11] .…”

“…Dielectrophoresis (DEP) has shown great promise for particle separation for decades (see excellent reviews [3][4][5] ). Several DEP systems show promising potential applications in medical sciences, including drug delivery or cancer diagnostics [6][7][8][9][10][11] .…”

Numerical Study of Joule Heating Effects on Microfluidics Device Reliability in Electrode Based Devices

“…Therefore, it is important to study the joule heating to understand its effects in device performance and cell health [ 18 ], especially, in applications to cell sorting and manipulation, by varying various parameter constraints in order to come out with the optimal design and efficient operation of microfluidic systems. Several DEP-based microfluidic devices were developed by focusing on various design constraints, such as electrode geometries, channel geometries to investigate the efficacy of sorting [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. The potential impact of joule heating on device reliability and performance have been widely studied and demonstrated by several researchers [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ] in applications to cell manipulations and isolations.…”

Fluid-Screen as a Real Time Dielectrophoretic Method for Universal Microbial Capture

“…There is a need for new technologies that allow for faster microbial detection and assessment of microbial contamination. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) has shown great promise for particle separation for decades (see excellent reviews [3][4][5] ). Several DEP systems show promising potential applications in medical sciences, including drug delivery or cancer diagnostics [6][7][8][9][10][11] .…”