An object separator may include a substrate, a fluid channel supported by the substrate, a pair of electrodes along the fluid channel to form a dielectrophoretic force to interact with an object entrained in a fluid and an inertial pump supported by the substrate to move the fluid along the fluid channel.

An object separator may include a substrate, a fluid channel supported by the substrate, a pair of electrodes along the fluid channel to form a dielectrophoretic force to interact with an object entrained in a fluid, and an inertial pump supported by the substrate and positioned within the fluid channel to move the fluid along the fluid channel.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a device for manipulating a substance, the device comprising at least three series of interdigitated electrode pairs, wherein each electrode of each pair is connected to an electrode in an adjacent pair in the respective series by an electrical path, and a dielectric layer disposed on the at least three series of interdigitated electrode pairs, the dielectric layer comprising one or more sub layers. The at least three series of interdigitated electrode pairs are selectively and independently energisable to produce an electric field at a top surface of the dielectric layer so that a substance on the top surface may be manipulated by the electric field. The device further comprises one or more groups of the interdigitated electrode pairs, each group having a longitudinal axis, wherein in each group the respective interdigitated electrode pairs are arranged along the respective longitudinal axis such that along the respective longitudinal axis no two adjacent pairs are from a single one of the at least three series, and no pair is adjacent to two other pairs from a single one of the at least three series.

An object separator may include a substrate, a fluid channel supported by the substrate, a pair of electrodes along the fluid channel to form a dielectrophoretic force to interact with an object entrained in a fluid, and an inertial pump supported by the substrate and positioned within the fluid channel to move the fluid along the fluid channel.

Sub-micrometer bioparticles are separated by size in a microfluidic channel utilizing a ratchet migration mechanism. A structure within the microfluidic channel includes an array of micro-posts arranged in laterally shifted rows. Reservoirs are disposed at each end of the microfluidic channel. A biased AC potential is applied across the channel via electrodes immersed into fluid in each of the reservoirs to induce a non-uniform electric field through the microfluidic channel. The applied potential comprises a first waveform with a first frequency that induces electro-kinetic flow of sub-micrometer bioparticles in the microfluidic channel, and an intermittent superimposed second waveform with a higher frequency. The second waveform selectively induces a dielectrophoretic trapping force to selectively impart ratchet migration based on particle size for separating the sub-micrometer bioparticles by size in the microfluidic channel.

The invention relates to a method for operating a fluidic microsystem (100) for the dielectrophoretic manipulation of suspended particles (1) having a particle diameter in a suspension liquid (2), wherein the microsystem (100) comprises: —a channel (10) having a longitudinal direction; —an electrode device (20) having an electrode (21), the longitudinal extent of which deviates from the longitudinal direction of the channel (10) and which has individually controllable electrode segments (22) for producing dielectrophoretic forces which act on the particles (1), each electrode segment (22) having a deflection angle α, relative to the longitudinal direction of the channel (10), and a segment length (s.sub.i), which determine a segment offset (D.sub.i) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the channel (10); and—a control device (30). The method comprises: —producing a flow of the suspension liquid (2) with a flow velocity so that the particles (1) successively pass through an interaction region of the electrode (21), which interaction region is spanned by the electrode segments (22); and—activating the electrode segments (22) in order to deflect the particles (1) onto predetermined motion paths (4, 5), which are determined by a superposition of flow forces in the flow of the suspension liquid (2) and of the dielectrophoretic forces at the electrode segments (22). During the passage of each particle, each of the electrode segments (22) which are passed by the particle (1) is activated in a clocked manner for a predetermined activation duration, according to the desired motion path (4, 5), the activation duration of each electrode segment (22) being determined by the quotient of the segment length (s.sub.i) of the electrode segment (22) and the flow velocity. The electrode segments (22) are dimensioned such that the segment offset (D.sub.i) of each electrode segment (22) is less than the particle diameter. For the deflection of each particle (1), at least two successive electrode segments (22) cooperate.

Sub-micrometer bioparticles are separated by size in a microfluidic channel utilizing a ratchet migration mechanism. A structure within the microfluidic channel includes an array of micro-posts arranged in laterally shifted rows. Reservoirs are disposed at each end of the microfluidic channel. A biased AC potential is applied across the channel via electrodes immersed into fluid in each of the reservoirs to induce a non-uniform electric field through the microfluidic channel. The applied potential comprises a first waveform with a first frequency that induces electro-kinetic flow of sub-micrometer bioparticles in the microfluidic channel, and an intermittent superimposed second waveform with a higher frequency. The second waveform selectively induces a dielectrophoretic trapping force to selectively impart ratchet migration based on particle size for separating the sub-micrometer bioparticles by size in the microfluidic channel.

A method for dielectrophoresis includes applying an electric field across a micro-fluidic chamber with an alternating current (AC), trapping the target particles on the at least one carrier particle, transporting the target particles from a first location in the chamber to a second location in the chamber distanced from the first location with the at least one carrier particle and dynamically controlling the trapping and the transporting based on remotely applying forces on the at least one carrier particle. The trapping is based on localized gradients of the electric field induced by the carrier particle. The applied electric field is uniform absent a carrier particle present in the micro-fluidic chamber. The micro-fluidic chamber contains an electrolyte-solution with suspended target particles and at least one carrier particle freely floating on or in the electrolyte-solution.

An object separator may include a substrate, a fluid channel supported by the substrate, a pair of electrodes along the fluid channel to form a dielectrophoretic force to interact with an object entrained in a fluid and an inertial pump supported by the substrate to move the fluid along the fluid channel.

A method for controlling the movement of magnetic or magnetizable objects (10) in a biosensor cartridge. The method comprises the step of providing a biosensor cartridge with a laterally extending sensor surface (A) and at least a magnetic field generating means (20, 30, 30) for generating a magnetic field with a field gradient substantially perpendicular to the sensor surface (A). The magnetic field generating means (20, 30, 30) are alternatingly actuated such that the generated magnetic field directs alternatingly the magnetic or magnetizable objects (10) substantially perpendicular to the sensor surface (A) away and toward the sensor surface, wherein pulse lengths of the alternating actuation are adjusted such that a lateral movement of magnetizable objects along the laterally extending sensor surface is substantially avoided.