# US 11,307,170 B2 · Methods of particle manipulation and analysis

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- Number: US 11,307,170 B2
- Document ID: US11307170B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/915,651
- Filed: 2020-06-29
- Published: 2020-10-15
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-05
- Assignees: The Trustees of Princeton University; UT-Battelle, LLC; University of Hawaii
- Applicants: The Trustees of Princeton University; Ut-Battelle, LLC; University of Hawaii
- Inventors: Jesse Ault; Sangwoo Shin; Howard A Stone; Jie Feng; Patrick Warren
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11307170B2

## CPC

- G01N 27/44721: {by optical means}
- G01N 15/00: Investigating characteristics of particles; Investigating permeability, pore-volume or surface-area of porous materials
- G01N 15/1456: {without spatial resolution of the texture or inner structure of the particle, e.g. processing of pulse signals}
- B01L 3/502761: {specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules}
- G01N 2015/0053: {in liquids, e.g. trouble}
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE

## Abstract

Methods described herein, in some embodiments, permit extraction of particle structural and/or surface charge data from gradient induced particle motion in channels. In one aspect, a method of manipulating particle motion comprises introducing a fluid into a channel, the fluid comprising particles, and driving particle accumulation to a preselected location in the channel by setting advective velocity of the fluid to offset diffusiophoretic mobility of the particles at the preselected location.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of determining particle zeta potential comprising:
providing at least one dead-end pore containing a solute having a first solute concentration;
introducing colloidal particles having positive diffusiophoretic mobility and a second solute concentration that is less than the first solute concentration;
measuring the image intensity in the dead-end pore;
determining a maximum colloidal density based on the image intensity; and
determining the particle zeta potential based on the maximum colloidal density.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing the colloidal nanoparticles to migrate into the dead-end pore.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the image intensity is measured after the migration of the colloidal particles has reached a quasi-steady state.