Continuous particle assembly in a capillary cell

摘要

Capillary force mechanisms have the advantages of providing the motive force to move groups of particles to locations of interest while holding them in place, offering delicateness, and obviating the use external energy sources. We report a capillary force method that permits particles to remain hydrated, while assembled and harvested in batches using a single setup, furthermore assembly of different sizes/types is possible. The physics behind the process is described and the technique demonstrated with the formation of an ensemble of 6 μm particles.