Tipping the balance with dielectrophoretic forces - An electric deterministic lateral displacement device

We present experimental results and simulations on a simple method for tunable particle separation based on a combination of Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD) and Insulator Based Dielectrophoresis (I-DEP). Rather than deriving its tunability from its elastic properties[1], our present device uses an applied AC field to perturb the particle trajectories in the pressure-driven flow and is thereby capable of scanning the critical size over a range of factor two. Potential benefits include: extended dynamic range, facilitated fabrication and less clogging for given particle sizes, and combination of the precision afforded by DLD with the versatility of DEP.