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<p>The integration of electrothermal (ET) flow with dielectrophoresis (DEP) presents a promising solution to overcome throughput limitations and extend the effective working range in microfluidic particle trapping, particularly when using nanofibers or similar sub micrometer electrode structures. This study examines the role of ET flow in enhancing DEP-based particle capture across various fiber diameters, Clausius-Mossotti factors, and medium conductivities through numerical investigations. A two-fiber model was used to analyze the electric, thermal, and flow fields, while particle trajectories were evaluated to quantify trapping efficiency. The results show that while smaller fibers produce higher electric field gradients, larger fibers yield greater trapping efficiency due to their increased capture area and longer particle residence time. Importantly, ET flow significantly improves trapping performance for submicron fibers by expanding the effective trapping region and directing particles into high electric field zones where they can be captured by DEP. This enhancement is most pronounced at moderate voltages (7.5–15&#xa0;V), as the ET flow varies with the fourth power of the voltage and plays a dominant role in particle motion under weak DEP conditions. Furthermore, high-conductivity environments benefit greatly from ET-induced recirculation, enabling efficient trapping in scenarios where traditional DEP methods are less effective. These findings provide crucial insights for the design of scalable, high-throughput DEP systems that incorporate nanostructured electrodes and electrohydrodynamic enhancement.</p>

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Role of electrothermal flow in electrokinetic particle trapping using nanofibers

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月6日

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  • Tonoy K. Mondal,
  • Stuart J. Williams

摘要

The integration of electrothermal (ET) flow with dielectrophoresis (DEP) presents a promising solution to overcome throughput limitations and extend the effective working range in microfluidic particle trapping, particularly when using nanofibers or similar sub micrometer electrode structures. This study examines the role of ET flow in enhancing DEP-based particle capture across various fiber diameters, Clausius-Mossotti factors, and medium conductivities through numerical investigations. A two-fiber model was used to analyze the electric, thermal, and flow fields, while particle trajectories were evaluated to quantify trapping efficiency. The results show that while smaller fibers produce higher electric field gradients, larger fibers yield greater trapping efficiency due to their increased capture area and longer particle residence time. Importantly, ET flow significantly improves trapping performance for submicron fibers by expanding the effective trapping region and directing particles into high electric field zones where they can be captured by DEP. This enhancement is most pronounced at moderate voltages (7.5–15 V), as the ET flow varies with the fourth power of the voltage and plays a dominant role in particle motion under weak DEP conditions. Furthermore, high-conductivity environments benefit greatly from ET-induced recirculation, enabling efficient trapping in scenarios where traditional DEP methods are less effective. These findings provide crucial insights for the design of scalable, high-throughput DEP systems that incorporate nanostructured electrodes and electrohydrodynamic enhancement.