Optically Assisted and Dielectrophoretical Manipulation of Cells and Molecules on Microfluidic Platforms

Electrokinetic forces can be classified as electroosmosis, electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis (DEP), electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD), and alternating current (AC) electroosmosis, depending on their operating conditions. This chapter discusses the optically induced dielectrophoresis (ODEP) platform, including the fundamental physical phenomena, the experimental setup of the platform, and several potential biomedical and nanotechnology applications, such as cell manipulation, colloidal manipulation, molecule manipulation, gel formation, and manipulation of nanoparticles. Manipulation of cells and molecules are essential technologies for biomedical and nanotechnology applications. The ODEP manipulation of cells and molecules can be extremely useful when performed on microfluidic platforms; thus, it can be used for a variety of applications, including cell manipulation, cell separation, cell rotation, cell electroporation, and cell lysis. In addition, it can be used for manipulation of molecules and nanoparticles, making it an enabling technology in this promising field.