Graphene is a novel material known for its high quality electronic properties and potential chemical and biosensor applications1. Graphene nanoplatelets have been used for catalyst support2,3, biosensors4, super-capacitors5, and composite-electrodes including graphene/polyaniline and silicon nanoparticle/graphene composites6-8. This manuscript describes utilization of graphene paper as electrodes in a unique three-dimensional (3D), layered microfluidic device. Graphene paper electrodes were laminated with insulative double-sided tape and a chamber drilled within which 3D AC dielectrophoresis of polystyrene beads was performed.
Dielectrophoresis (DEP) refers to the movement of polarizable particles under non-uniform electrical fields. Positive DEP (pDEP) or negative DEP (nDEP) occurs when particles are more or less polarizable than the surrounding medium, resulting in movement toward the strongest or weakest electrical field, respectively. This nonlinear electrokinetic tool has been used for separation, sorting, trapping, and identification of particles and biological cells9-15. The dielectrophoretic force experienced by a polarized particle is a function of the electric field gradient, particle radius and shape, particle dielectric properties including conductivity and permittivity, as well as the media conductivity and permittivity. In traditional two-dimensional (2D) DEP, particle movement is in the primary plane of the electric field gradient typically formed between microfabricated surface electrodes; movement in the vertical direction is negligible compared to in-plane directions in most devices. However, harnessing this third dimension of electrical field gradients for 3D DEP allows for higher sample throughput and increases the versatility to design new and improved dielectrophoretic separations in which the flow is traverse to the field gradients16,17. Other specific designs include 3D insulator-based DEP18, 3D carbon-electrode DEP13,19, and 3D electroplating DEP10. As evidenced by the research into 3D structures, such devices can be operated in continuous flow mode to achieve higher throughputs. Observation of the 3D particle movement in our layered 3D device is achieved as a function of frequency and medium conductivity via light microscopy at different focal heights.
Fatoyinbo et al. first reported DEP in a 3D laminated electrode/insulation structure using alternatively stacked 30 μm aluminum foil and 150 μm epoxy resin films20. Hubner et al. then designed similar 3D laminated electrodes with 35 μm copper tape and 118 μm polyimide adhesive21. This work borrows the 3D-well design22,23, and uniquely utilizes the convenience of 50 μm graphene paper as the conducting layers and 100 μm double-sided tape as the insulating layers, which achieved sealing and sufficient electrical shielding. Graphene paper versatility is a distinct advantage for 3D electrode microdevices because the graphene nanoplatelets have the ability to concurrently act as biosensors, which this group previously demonstrated24.
The field gradients achieved within the graphene paper/polymer laminated 3D microdevices depend on the micro-well dimensions, the graphene paper layers, and the applied electric field. Critical dimensions include the vertical electrode spacing (conducting and insulating layer thicknesses) and micro-well diameter and height (determined by layers stacked). The electric signal can be tuned via amplitude and frequency. The current device structure is for batch operation, but can be tailored to a continuous flow device. The device fabrication technique described here is suitable for developing 3D laminated electrodes with a wide variety of graphene nanoplatelet properties simply by exchanging the graphene paper utilized. Advantages of utilizing graphene paper are versatility of physical and chemical properties, reduced expense, and the graphene nanoplatelets can concurrently act as biosensors to detect a wide range of bioanalytes24. Long-term goals of high throughput 3D DEP systems are to rapidly identify cell types25-27, or achieve label-free, electrically mediated cell sorting of diseased cells from populations of healthy cells28. This paper demonstrates material optimization and device preparation and operation followed by illustration and analysis of typical results.