The capability of manipulating microparticle in small volumes is fundamental to many biological and medical applications, including separation and detection of cells. The development of microtools for effective sample handling and separation in such volumes is still a challenge. DEP (dielectrophoresis) is one of the most widely used methods in handling the microparticles. In this thesis we show that forces generated by nonuniform electric field (DEP) can be used for trapping and separating the microparticles (latex beads). This work further explores the DEP force based on different electrode geometries and medium conductivity. A micromanipulator for latex bead separation was designed, fabricated and characterized. For the development of DEP manipulator, the fabrication and packaging of microfluidic structure with the microelectrode is crucial for reliable analysis. A combination of SU-8 photoresist and polydimethylsiloxane polymer was used for this purpose. Besides, the DEP manipulator, preliminary study on a Coulter counter was conducted. The Coulter counter works on the principle of resistive pulse sensing. This counter is used for counting the beads as they pass through the microfluidic channel. Its possible integration with the manipulator was also explored.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-1151 |
| Date | 01 January 2004 |
| Creators | Sundaram, Vivek |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
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