Fiber Dielectrophoresis

Abstract

Dielectrophoresis is the motion of an uncharged particle in a nonuniform electric field. Using prolate spheroids to model cylindrical fibers, we find that the theoretical dielectrophoretic velocity of a conducting fiber in an insulating medium is proportional to the square of the fiber length and is virtually independent of fiber diameter. This prediction has been verified experimentally using aluminum wire particles 0.5–5 mm long and 25–75 μm in diameter moving in the space between cylindrical electrodes in a medium of mineral oil. The results point to the development of a fiber length classifier based on dielectrophoresis.