Numerical analysis of thermal and electrohydrodynamic effects in travelling-wave dielectrophoretic devices

AUTOR(ES)
FONTE

Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007-12

RESUMO

Travelling-wave dielectrophoretic phenomena involving cell detection and manipulation are very interesting for biomedical and biotechnological applications. However, electrohydrodynamic phenomena may interfere with the action of dielectrophoresis. The main goal of our study is to calculate the interplay of these effects. In so doing, we have been able to go beyond the order-of-magnitude estimations, which were available in the literature. In this framework we have taken into account the effects of using square signals, which calls for a calculation of the combined polarisability effects due to the superposition of different frequencies. Thermal gradients are also a triggering agent of electrohydrodynamic effects. We have undertaken the pertinent thermal simulations with a concern for the influence of different boundary conditions. The dynamics of the thermal fields were also assessed in order to estimate the characteristic times of electrohydrodynamic phenomena. All these results have been used in a study of the fluid flow pattern motion at different frequencies and its influence on the particle behaviour.

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