Collaborative Research: Precise and Dexterous Single-Particle Manipulation Using Non-uniform AC Magnetic Fields

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High-precision manipulation of single micro-particles such as biological cells and colloids in the liquid environment is a critical process in applications such as single-cell analysis. A myriad of methods has been developed to achieve such manipulation. However, few of them can simultaneously meet all the requirements in practical applications, e.g., high precision, robustness, ability to move particles along arbitrary paths, low cost, and good biocompatibility. Recently the principal investigators discovered a new kind of particle manipulation method, i.e., using non-uniform alternating magnetic fields to actuate an anisotropic magnetic cluster and further applying the actuated cluster to manipulate nonmagnetic particles. Unlike other magnetic manipulation methods, this method requires only low-frequency, weak magnetic fields, and two orders of magnitude less power to achieve the same transitional speed, and the entire setup is extremely cost-effective. However, the fundamental mechanisms underlying this method are not clear and the parameters to precisely control the cluster motion are unknown. This project seeks to resolve this challenge and thus to create a precise, dexterous, low-cost, and biocompatible method for manipulating single particles. The project can potentially enable better single-cell analysis and make such analysis more accessible to research and educational communities, thereby creating great scientific and societal impact. The project includes education programs involving undergraduate students with diverse ethnical backgrounds and regional K-12 students. Discoveries from the project will be disseminated to technical as well as general audiences.The objective of this project is to understand, prefect, and apply the newly discovered magnetic particle actuation method through two specific aims: (1) to understand the actuation of single magnetic particles using non-uniform alternating magnetic fields; (2) to investigate nonmagnetic particle manipulation through the actuation of single magnetic particles. These aims will be achieved by integrating magnetic particle fabrication, experimental characterization of particulate dynamics in liquids, and multiphysics simulations. These interdisciplinary activities will benefit from the synergistic collaboration of the two research teams at University of Georgia and Virginia Tech, which have a fruitful history of collaboration and demonstrated expertise in material synthesis, instrumentation, and experimental and computational studies of particle transport in low-Reynolds number flows. The results from this project will provide both the theoretical basis and practical guidelines for the effective design of systems to manipulate single particles and cells. This project will also create new knowledge on the dynamics of magnetic particles in liquid environments and hydrodynamic actuation of particles in low-Reynolds number flows, thereby simultaneously contributing to the fields of magnetic actuation, fluid dynamics, particle assembly, and biotechnology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.