APPARATUS WITH ELECTRODE ARRAYS FOR CARRYING OUT CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL OR PHYSICO-CHEMICAL REACTIONS.

摘要

Apparatus is described for carrying out chemical, physical or physico-chemical reactions between particles suspended in a liquid medium. The liquid medium is present in channels (1-8, 10, 40, 41, 42, 52, 72) on a generally planar substrate. The liquid medium does not have to flow through the channels, (1-8, 10, 40, 41, 42, 52, 72), but may remain stationary while the particles being reacted move through them. Associated with the channels (1-8, 10, 40, 41, 42, 52, 72) are electrode arrays which enable the particles to be moved, e.g., using dielectrophoresis or travelling wave dielectrophoresis. Complex processing schemes may be achieved using arrays of channels (1-8, 10, 40, 41, 42, 52, 72) and electrodes (20, 21, 22, 36, 56, 71). The apparatus may be manufactured, e.g., using photo lithographic and/or laser machining techniques.