Oh Jonghyun, Hart Robert, Capurro Jorge, Noh Hongseok Moses
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Lab Chip. 2009 Jan 7;9(1):62-78. doi: 10.1039/b801594e. Epub 2008 Oct 21.
AC electrokinetics is rapidly becoming a foundational tool for lab-on-a-chip systems due to its versatility and the simplicity of the components capable of generating them. Predicting the behavior of fluids and particles under non-uniform AC electric fields is important for the design of next generation devices. Though there are several important phenomena that contribute to the overall behavior of particles and fluids, current predictive techniques consider special conditions where only a single phenomenon may be considered. We report a 2D numerical simulation, using COMSOL Multiphysics, which incorporates the three major AC electrokinetic phenomena (dielectrophoresis, AC electroosmosis and electrothermal effect) and is valid for a wide range of operational conditions. Corroboration has been performed using experimental conditions that mimic those of the simulation and shows good qualitative agreement. Furthermore, a broad range of experiments has been performed using four of the most widely reported devices under varying conditions in order to show their behavior as it relates to the simulation. The large number of experimental conditions reported, together with the comprehensive numerical simulation, will help provide guidelines for scientists and engineers interested in incorporating AC electrokinetics into their lab-on-a-chip systems.
由于交流电动学的多功能性以及能够产生交流电场的组件的简单性，它正迅速成为芯片实验室系统的一种基础工具。预测非均匀交流电场下流体和颗粒的行为对于下一代设备的设计至关重要。尽管有几种重要现象会影响颗粒和流体的整体行为，但目前的预测技术考虑的是仅能考虑单一现象的特殊情况。我们报告了一种使用COMSOL Multiphysics进行的二维数值模拟，该模拟纳入了三种主要的交流电动现象（介电泳、交流电渗和电热效应），并且在广泛的操作条件下都是有效的。已使用模拟实验条件进行了验证，结果显示出良好的定性一致性。此外，为了展示四种最常报道的设备在不同条件下与模拟相关的行为，已经在各种条件下进行了大量实验。所报道的大量实验条件以及全面的数值模拟，将有助于为有兴趣将交流电动学纳入其芯片实验室系统的科学家和工程师提供指导。
