AC dielectrophoresis basis for insulator-based systems:
In recent years, dielectrophoresis has emerged as a unique and useful tool for investigating, manipulating and capturing small particles. Dielectrophoretic force arises when a non-uniform electric field acts upon permanent or induced dipoles. Insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) involves the use of insulating geometric features within a microchannel to shape an applied electric field, thus harnessing dielectrophoretic and electrokinetic forces to capture and concentrate particles of interest. This field grows from sixty some-odd years of work in AC dielectrophoresis. Using DEP, seemingly similar cells can be differentiated based on extremely subtle distinctions such as antigen type on erythrocytes or antiboitic resistance. Our contribution, so far, is to create a linear separations scheme that uses electrophoretic and dielectrophoretic forces as focusing and differentiating elements. To accomplish this, we use microchannels with a graduated, repeating pattern to selectively capture bioparticles from a complex mixture.
Publications
Differentiation of Escherichia coli Serotypes Using DC Gradient Insulator Dielectrophoresis. Paul V. Jones, Alexa F. DeMichele, LaKeta Kemp, and Mark A. Hayes Anal. Bioanal. 2014, 406(1), 183-192 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-013-7437-5. article
Sarah J. R. Staton, Paul V. Jones, Ginger Ku, S. Douglass Gilman, Indu Kheterpal, and Mark A. Hayes* Manipulation and Capture of Aß Amyloid Fibrils and Monomers by DC Insulator Gradient Dielectrophoresis (DC-iGDEP), Analyst, 2012, 137(14), 3227-3229 DOI:10.1039/C2AN35138B. article
Paul V. Jones, Sarah J. R. Staton, and Mark A. Hayes* Blood cell capture in a gradient dielectrophoretic microchannel. Anal. Bioanal.2011, 401, 2103-2111, PMID: 21830138.article
Staton, S.J.R., Chen, K.P., Taylor, T.J., Pachecho, J.R., and M.A. Hayes. Characterization of particle capture in sawtooth patterned insulating electrokinetic microfluidic device. Electrophoresis. 2010, 31, 3634-3641.
Chen, K.P., Pacheco, J.R., Hayes, M.A., and S.J.R. Staton. Insulator-based dielectrophoretic separation of small particles in a sawtooth channel. Electrophoresis. 2009, 30, 1441-1448.
Pysher, M.D. and M.A. Hayes. Electrophoretic and dielectrophoretic field gradient technique for separating bioparticles. Analytical Chemistry.2007, 79, 4552-4557.
Future Directions: Apply to full range of bioparticulates. Current work is blood cells and proteins, amyloid fibrils, virus particles, bioaerosols, and bacteria.
Selective capture of 200 nanometer polystyrene particles while excluding 1 micron particles by DC-iGDEP (Staton 2010 - Electrophoresis)
Protein aggregate capture of amyloid A-beta (1-40) fibrils. Voltage removed at 2 s, reapplied at 19 s. (Staton 2012, The Analyst)