Selective dielectrophoretic confinement of bioparticles in potential energy wells

Abstract

The potential energy surfaces generated by microelectrodes of polynomial and interdigitated castellated geometry have been calculated for particles experiencing both positive and negative dielectrophoretic forces. The resulting forms of particle collection at these electrodes are governed by the locations of the potential energy wells, and the theoretical predictions of the modes of collection for particles experiencing positive and negative dielectrophoretic forces are verified using mixtures of viable and non-viable yeast cells, as well as of bacteria and blood cells. An important result for the interdigitated electrodes is the finding that particles trapped in potential energy wells under the action of negative dielectrophoresis can be more easily removed from the electrode structure (e.g. by fluid flow or gravitational forces) than those trapped under positive dielectrophoresis. This was verified for mixtures of bacteria and blood cells, viable and non-viable yeast cells.

Dielectrophoretic manipulation of rod-shaped viral particles

“…Whilst negative DEP was observed, the particles being distinctly repelled from the electrode tips, the value of Re{(e* -em)/~m} ~ --¼ is tOO small to give rise to a sufficiently large force to overcome Brownian motion and produce trapping of the particles in the low field regions of the electrode array (between the tips), since the low field region of the sawtooth electrodes have low values of electric field gradient. Polynomial electrodes have well-defined regions of low field gradients producing negative DEP funnels or traps [26,27], but we were unable to produce observable trapping of TMV under negative DEP in these electrode either, primarily owing to the low value of Re {(e* -/;m)/em} at high frequencies.…”

Role of peroxide in AC electrical field exposure effects on Friend murine erythroleukemia cells during dielectrophoretic manipulations

“…If the field is non-uniform, the particle will experience a resultant translational force (DEP: dielectrophoresis) [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Alternatively, if the field is rotating, the interaction between the field and the induced dipole will make the particle rotate (ROT: electrorotation) [9][10][11].…”

The use of electric fields in tissue engineering

“…[25][26][27][28][29] Dielectrophoretic spectra of very different cell types are very similar, 30 and the method can be employed with essentially any cell type-microbial, animal or plant-or in fact non-cellular material. [31][32][33] Both negative and positive dielectrophoresis can be used, 32,33 single cell manipulation is possible, [34][35][36][37][38] and aggregate sizes can range from single cells to hundreds of microns. 28,[39][40][41][42][43] Because microelectrode arrays can be made in which different electrodes are addressed at different times using signals of different voltages and frequencies, and different cell types can be introduced at different times, complex two-and three-dimensional patterns of different cell types can be created using dielectrophoresis.…”