Patent ID: 8034226
Filing Date: 2011-10-11
Classification: B03C

Abstract:
1. A device for dielectrophoretic separation of particles contained in a fluid, comprising two sets of electrodes, each of the two sets of electrodes being brought to a different potential, so as to generate an electric field inside said fluid, the two sets of electrodes being positioned inside a chamber or pipe accommodating the fluid that is subjected to dielectrophoretic separation, said chamber or pipe including a dielectrophoretically separated particle collecting surface separate from the two sets of electrodes, wherein: each of the two sets of electrodes is immersed in the fluid inside the chamber or pipe and is located in a plane perpendicular to a plane of the separated particle collecting surface; the two sets of electrodes are supplied with electric current in phase opposition; when energized for dielectrophoretic separation, each of the two sets of electrodes produces, in the fluid, a potential having a gradient based on distance along a direction perpendicular to the plane of the separated particle collecting surface, and a resulting dielectrophoretic force oriented in said direction that simultaneously dielectrophoretically separates the particles from the fluid and propels the separated particles to the collecting surface; and the two sets each comprise a plurality of electrodes stacked one on top of another in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the particle collecting surface, said electrodes being separated, two by two, by an electric insulator and said electrodes of each of the sets being subjected to spatial variation of the potential applied to the electrodes in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the particle collecting surface to produce said potential having a gradient and said resulting dielectrophoretic force.