Chen D F, Li W H, Du H, Li M
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2012 Apr;12(4):3035-9. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2012.5828.
Sorting of particles such as cells is a critical process for many biomedical applications, and it is challenging to integrate it into an analytical microdevice. We report an effective and flexible dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based microfluidic device for continuous sorting of multiple particles in a microchannel. The particle sorter is composed of two components-a DEP focusing unit and a Movable DEP Trap (MDT). The trap is formed by an array of microelectrodes at the bottom of the channel and a transparent electrode plate placed at the top. The location of the trap is dependent on the configuration of voltages on the array and therefore is addressable. Flowing particles are first directed and focused into a single particle stream by the focusing unit. The streamed particles are then sorted into different fractions using the movable trap by rapidly switching the applied voltage. The performance of the sorter is demonstrated by successfully sorting microparticles in a continuous flow. The proposed DEP-based microfluidic sorter can be implemented in applications such as sample preparation and cell sorting for subsequent analytical processing, where sorting of particles is needed.
对细胞等颗粒进行分选是许多生物医学应用中的关键过程，而将其集成到分析微器件中具有挑战性。我们报道了一种基于介电电泳（DEP）的有效且灵活的微流控装置，用于在微通道中对多种颗粒进行连续分选。该颗粒分选器由两个组件组成——一个DEP聚焦单元和一个可移动DEP阱（MDT）。该阱由通道底部的微电极阵列和置于顶部的透明电极板形成。阱的位置取决于阵列上电压的配置，因此是可寻址的。流动的颗粒首先由聚焦单元引导并聚焦成单颗粒流。然后，通过快速切换施加的电压，使用可移动阱将流中的颗粒分选成不同部分。通过在连续流中成功分选微粒证明了分选器的性能。所提出的基于DEP的微流控分选器可应用于样品制备和细胞分选等需要颗粒分选以便后续进行分析处理的应用中。
