MEMS-Based Microanalytical System for Dielectrophoresis Studies of Biological Macromolecules

This thesis describes a body of work specifically addressing the design and fabrication of a MEMS-based microanalytical system capable of studying the dielectrophoresis of biological macromolecules such as DNA and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Through a process of discovery that involved extensive theoretical and literature based analysis coupled with laboratory validation and extension of current dielectrophoresis knowledge, it was concluded that DNA studied in this research exhibited both negative and positive dielectrophoresis depending upon the frequency of the applied electric field. Such knowledge may lead to the application of dielectrophoresis separation techniques for DNA. &KC qWOJT