Numerical Investigation of DC Dielectrophoretic Deformable Particle–Particle Interactions and Assembly

Abstract

In a non-uniform electric field, the surface charge of the deformable particle is polarized, resulting in the dielectrophoretic force acting on the surface of the particle, which causes the electrophoresis. Due to dielectrophoretic force, the two deformable particles approach each other, and distort the flow field between them, which cause the hydrodynamic force correspondingly. The dielectrophoresis (DEP) force and the hydrodynamic force together form the net force acting on the particles. In this paper, based on a thin electric double layer (EDL) assumption, we developed a mathematical model under the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) numerical approach method to simulate the flow field, electric field, and deformable particles simultaneously. Simulation results show that, when two deformable particles’ distances are in a certain range, no matter the initial position of the two particles immersed in the fluid field, the particles will eventually form a particle–particle chain parallel to the direction of the electric field. In actual experiments, the biological cells used are deformable. Compared with the previous study on the DEP motion of the rigid particles, the research conclusion of this paper provides a more rigorous reference for the design of microfluidics.

Keywords

• dielectrophoresis
• particle assembly
• particle interactions
• arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE)
• microfluidics
• fluid–structure interaction
• Navies–Stokes equation