Tunable separation and DNA manipulation in metal coated pillar arrays

Implementing electrically connected metal-coated posts in a Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD) device and applying electric fields, we use electrokinetics to achieve tunable particle separations and to trap and manipulate DNA. The strength of DLD stems from its typically binary behavior. Particles move in one out of two trajectories based on their effective size. For particles that are close to the threshold size, a minute external force is sufficient to nudge the particles from one trajectory to another. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) provides such a force and also gives specificity based on the dielectric properties of the particles.