Optimizing Electrode Geometry for Enhanced Cell Separation Using Dielectrophoresis: A Study on Fillet Radius Impact

This paper presents a dielectrophoresis-based device designed for separating platelets from red blood cells (RBCs), utilizing the size difference between the cells to induce negative dielectrophoretic behavior to achieve effective separation. The study employs Alternating Current Dielectrophoresis (AC-DEP) at a frequency of 100 kHz, modelling the cells with defined parameters using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3a simulations. The objective is to investigate the effect of varying electrode geometry, specifically the curvature at the corners of the electrodes, on cell separation performance. By adjusting the curvature of the sidewall electrodes through varying the fillet radius between 0µm and 18µm, the study observes how these changes influence the electric field and, consequently, the separation of RBCs and platelets. Results demonstrate that altering electrode geometry improves separation performance by optimizing electric field distribution and cell trajectories.