Multiple electrokinetic actuators for feedback control of colloidal crystal size

Published

July 27, 2012

Author(s)

Jaime Juarez, Pramod Mathai, James Alexander Liddle, Michael Bevan

Abstract

We report a feedback method for controlling the sizes of hexagonally close packed two-dimensional colloidal crystals in a microfluidic quadrupole electrode device. Crystal size, measured by the number of colloidal particles comprising the crystal, is controlled over an order of magnitude range with a variation of less than 10% for colloidal crystals containing 20 to 250 micron-sized silica spheres. The total number of particles in the control region is tracked in real time and alternating applications of electrokinetic mechanisms - either electro-osmosis or negative dielectrophoresis - are actuated to guide the formation of the crystals of the targeted size. Subtle changes in the bounding geometry of the crystal compare well with scaling models of the number of particles on the crystal edge and a geometrical parameter reflecting the degree of hexagonal close packing. This model system gives us the opportunity to explore concepts relevant to the controlled assembly of nanoscale objects for nanomanufacturing.

Citation

Lab on A Chip

Volume

12

Issue

20

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1039/c2lc40692f

Local Download

Keywords

feedback control, crystal assembly, dielectrophoresis, electroosmotic flow

Citation

Juarez, J. , Mathai, P. , Liddle, J. and Bevan, M. (2012), Multiple electrokinetic actuators for feedback control of colloidal crystal size, Lab on A Chip, [online], https://doi.org/10.1039/c2lc40692f, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=910888 (Accessed April 16, 2024)