Automatic separation of microscopic particles via optoelectronic chip and associated platform

An effective technique for automatic separation of microscopic particles through an optoelectronic micro device is experimentally demonstrated. This technique is realized through the scanning of light patterns at a certain frequency of the actuating signal for this device. This electrodeless technique can dynamically reconstruct the distribution of electric field, which overcomes the drawback that conventional microfluidic devices need costly and rigid microelectrodes or microchannels. The influences of the signal voltage and the width of the micro light line on the pollen particle velocity are discussed through experiments and simulations. The conclusion is drawn that the optimal frequencies for the separation of pollen grains with different properties range from 500 kHz to 1 MHz, and increasing the ac signal voltage and the light line width are able to increase the saturating velocity of pollen particles. Furthermore, increasing light linewidth is better than increasing the voltage under the precondition that separation accuracy is guaranteed.