Purpose

This study aims to propose a contactless and continuous dielectrophoretic cell-separation device using quadrupole electric field. To examine the separation performance, numerical simulations of the electric field in the cross-section of the glass capillary installed in the center of the quadrupole electrode were conducted.

Design/methodology/approach

To estimate the magnitude of the dielectrophoretic force induced on cells, electrostatic analysis was performed by using a boundary-fitted coordinate system.Distribution of the electric field and gradient of the electric field square in the cross-section of the glass capillary were simulated for various ratios of radii of the glass capillary to the electrode rod.

Findings

The distribution of the electric field was found to have a cone-like profile about the center axis of the glass capillary with maximum at the internal surface of the glass capillary. The magnitude of the gradient of electric field square had similar distribution as that of the electric field, but had steeper slope near the internal surface of the glass capillary. The optimal values of the ratio of radii and the applied voltage were also estimated to achieve the local electric field strength suitable for cell separation.

Originality/value

One major advantage of the proposed device is simple and low fabrication cost, in addition to its contactless structure free from cell damage. Derived knowledge is instructive in achieving high-throughput cell separation without the use of devices of complex structure.

中文翻译：

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非接触介电四极电池隔板中感应电场的数值模拟

目的

本研究旨在提出一种利用四极电场的非接触式连续介电细胞分离装置。为了检查分离性能，对安装在四极电极中心的玻璃毛细管横截面中的电场进行了数值模拟。

设计/方法/方法

为了估计在细胞上引起的介电泳力的大小，使用边界拟合坐标系进行了静电分析。模拟了玻璃毛细管横截面中电场的分布和电场平方的梯度玻璃毛细管与电极棒的半径之比。

发现

发现电场分布围绕玻璃毛细管的中心轴具有圆锥形轮廓，并且在玻璃毛细管的内表面处具有最大值。电场平方的梯度的大小与电场的分布相似，但是在玻璃毛细管的内表面附近具有陡峭的斜率。还估算了半径比和施加电压的最佳值，以实现适合于细胞分离的局部电场强度。

创意/价值

所提出的装置的主要优点是简单且制造成本低，此外其无接触结构不受电池损坏。在不使用复杂结构的设备的情况下，获得的知识对实现高通量细胞分离具有指导意义。