A dielectrophoresis microjet for on-chip technologies

Abstract

A dielectrophoresis (DEP) microjet is introduced in this work. Fundamental material and topology characteristics are investigated for on-chip microdroplet actuation, and the DEP microjet is designed according to these characteristics. The material characteristics suggest that negative DEP (nDEP) can provide the required strength of axial and transverse forces for on-chip microdroplet actuation. The topology characteristics are then considered for nDEP operation in terms of on-chip electrostatic energy distributions. The operation of a double-micropin (DEP microjet) topology is compared to that of a single-micropin (nominal) topology. Theoretical and experimental results show that the double-micropin topology of the on-chip DEP microjet is well-suited for controlled microdroplet actuation. A series of experimental characterizations confirm these findings, with experimental microdroplet velocities of approximately 25 cm s⁻¹. The DEP microjet is ultimately successful in establishing controlled and rapid microdroplet actuation for emerging on-chip microfluidic applications.