Combined field-induced dielectrophoresis and phase separation for manipulating particles in microfluidics

Experiments were conducted in microfluidics equipped with dielectrophoretic gates arranged perpendicular to the flow. Under the action of a high-gradient ac field and shear, flowing suspensions were found to undergo a phase separation and to form a distinct front between the regions enriched with and depleted of particles. We demonstrate that this many-body phenomenon, which originates from interparticle electrical interactions, provides a method for concentrating particles in focused regions and for separating biological and nonbiological materials. The evolution of the particle patterns formation is well described by a proposed electrohydrodynamic model.