Mapping electric fields generated by microelectrodes using optically trapped charged microspheres

Abstract

In this work, we show a new technique to measure the direction and amplitude of the electric field generated by microelectrodes in a liquid environment, as often used in microfluidic devices. The method is based on the use of optical tweezers as a force transducer. A trapped, charged particle behaves as a probe. With this technique, it is possible to obtain a detailed map of the electric field, even for very complex electrode structures with a resolution below a micrometre and with a sensitivity as low as a few hundreds of V m⁻¹.