Computer-aided analysis of conditions for optimizing practical electrorotation

Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that the variations in torque induced in particles in electrorotation electrode arrays are sufficiently large to cause errors in electrorotation measurements. In order to avoid this, experimenters usually study particles bounded by an arbitrary region near the centre of the electrodes. By simulating the time-dependent electric field for polynomial electrodes, we have assessed the variation in torque across the centre of the array. By considering both the variation in applied torque and the dielectrophoretic force in the electrode chamber, the optimal conditions for electrorotation experiments have been determined. Further to this, by comparing the torque variation across the electrode chamber for a number of common electrode designs, a comparison of the suitability of each electrode design for multi-particle electrorotation analysis has been made.