Dielectrophoresis of air

Abstract

Dielectrophoresis describes neutral particles moving in non-uniform electric fields. We experimentally observe the dielectrophoresis of gas generated by macroscopic electrodes and show that this effect can be large enough to generate audible sound. The observed sound agrees with a multiscale model of dielectrophoresis of gas. The compositional dependence of this effect is shown through experiments on mixtures of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, as well as volatile molecules in air.