Dielectrophoretic mobility determination in DC insulator-based dielectrophoresis.

Insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) is a powerful tool for separating and characterizing particles, yet it is limited by a lack of quantitative characterizations. Here, this limitation is addressed by employing a method capable of quantifying the DEP mobility of particles. Using streak-based velocimetry the particle properties are deduced from their motion in a microfluidic channel with a constant electric field gradient. From this approach, the DEP mobility of 1 µm polystyrene particles was found to be -2±0.4 10(-8) cm4 /(V2 s). In the future, such quantitative treatment will allow for the elucidation of unique insights and rational design of devices.