Trapping of a Single Microparticle Using AC Dielectrophoresis Forces in a Microfluidic Chip

Abstract

Precise trap and manipulation of individual cells is a prerequisite for single-cell analysis, which has a wide range of applications in biology, chemistry, medicine, and materials. Herein, a microfluidic trapping system with a 3D electrode based on AC dielectrophoresis (DEP) technology is proposed, which can achieve the precise trapping and release of specific microparticles. The 3D electrode consists of four rectangular stereoscopic electrodes with an acute angle near the trapping chamber. It is made of Ag–PDMS material, and is the same height as the channel, which ensures the uniform DEP force will be received in the whole channel space, ensuring a better trapping effect can be achieved. The numerical simulation was conducted in terms of electrode height, angle, and channel width. Based on the simulation results, an optimal chip structure was obtained. Then, the polystyrene particles with different diameters were used as the samples to verify the effectiveness of the designed trapping system. The findings of this research will contribute to the application of cell trapping and manipulation, as well as single-cell analysis.

Design of a Low-Frequency Dielectrophoresis-Based Arc Microfluidic Chip for Multigroup Cell Sorting

“…Currently, there are many methods regarding the processing and fabrication of microfluidic chips containing metal electrodes. Yanjuan Wang et al [ 22 ] used glass to fabricate the substrate, polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) to fabricate the microfluidic channel, Ag-PDMS to fabricate the metal electrodes, indium-tin-oxide (ITO) to fabricate the wires and processed the chip using soft lithography. Misaki Hata et al [ 17 ] processed ITO electrodes using conventional lithography using a double adhesive film of 30 μm in thickness to fabricate the fluidic channel.…”

“…Hien Vu-Dinh et al [ 21 ] designed microfluidic chips with serpentine channels and arrays of counter electrodes and used cell-specific aptamers to enhance the capture intensity, greatly increasing the accuracy of capturing lung cancer cells in low concentration solutions. Yanjuan Wang et al [ 22 ] designed four 3D rectangular stereoscopic electrodes, located at the four corners of the capture chamber, to achieve the capture and release of particles of specific diameters.…”

Design and Application of Microfluidic Capture Device for Physical–Magnetic Isolation of MCF-7 Circulating Tumor Cells

“…The physical methods include using the physical properties (such as their larger size, larger mass and different shape) of CTCs to isolate them [ 12 ]. These techniques include hydrodynamic flow focusing, entrapment using micro/nanostructures, dielectrophoresis (DEP) and acoustic isolation [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Immunological/bio-affinity methods involve utilizing the CTC membrane’s entities, such as molecules (such as the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)), proteins, receptors and antigens, to chemically interact with functionalized nanoparticles and chip surfaces to trap them [ 11 ].…”