Magnetophoretic Particle & Cell Manipulation In Ferrofluid Flows Using Two Magnets

Micro-particle manipulation is often required for many chemical and biological applications. Many methods implementing force fields have been explored such as electric, optical, acoustic, and magnetic. Among these, magnetic forces stand out due to its low cost and versatility. A great advantage of using magnetic field is its absence of fluid heating as seen in optical and electric. In this presentation, I present a method of particle and cell manipulation in ferrofluid flows using a pair of magnets via negative magnetophoresis. By positioning each magnet in certain configurations, particular particle behaviors can be captured and studied that include focusing, trapping/concentration, and separation/sorting. In these projects, particle diameters of 3 to 10μm are considered and suspended in commercially available ferrofluid. Furthermore, once studies with polystyrene sphere particles are found practical, live yeast cells are employed and results for manipulation and bio-compatibility are verified