Issue 8, 2010

The integration of 3D carbon-electrodedielectrophoresis on a CD-like centrifugal microfluidic platform

Abstract

We introduce the integration of a novel dielectrophoresis (DEP)-assisted filter with a compact disk (CD)-based centrifugal platform. Carbon-electrode dielectrophoresis (carbon-DEP) refers to the use of carbon electrodes to induce DEP. In this work, 3D carbon electrodes are fabricated using the C-MEMS technique and are used to implement a DEP-enabled active filter to trap particles of interest. Compared to traditional planar metal electrodes, 3D carbon electrodes allow for superior filtering efficiency. The system includes mounting modular 3D carbon-DEP chips on an electrically interfaced rotating disk. This allows simple centrifugal pumping to replace the large footprint syringe pump approaches commonly used in DEP systems. The advantages of the CD setup include not only a reduced footprint, but also complexity and cost reduction by eliminating expensive precision pumps and fluidic interconnects. To demonstrate the viability of this system we quantified the filter efficiency in the DEP trapping of yeast cells from a mix of latex and yeast cells. Results demonstrate selective filtering at flow rates up to 35 µl min−1. The impact of electrode height, DEP chip misalignment and particle sedimentation on filter efficiency and the advantages this system represents are analyzed. The ultimate goal is to obtain an automated platform for bioparticle sorting with application in different fields such as point-of-care diagnostics and cell-based therapies.

Graphical abstract: The integration of 3D carbon-electrode dielectrophoresis on a CD-like centrifugal microfluidic platform

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Dec 2009
Accepted
13 Jan 2010
First published
04 Feb 2010

Lab Chip, 2010,10, 1030-1043

The integration of 3D carbon-electrode dielectrophoresis on a CD-like centrifugal microfluidic platform

R. Martinez-Duarte, R. A. Gorkin III, K. Abi-Samra and M. J. Madou, Lab Chip, 2010, 10, 1030 DOI: 10.1039/B925456K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements