Systems and methods for separating metallic and nonmetallic particles in a mixed-particle suspension

A continuous-flow method for separating metallic and nonmetallic particles from a mixed-particle suspension, comprising:

• providing an input flow of a mixed-particle fluid suspension in a single input channel, said single input channel being bifurcated into first and second output channels at a bifurcated junction;
• determining a time variation of a spatially-gradient and time-varying electric field to impose dielectrophoretic forces on metallic and nonmetallic particles in said mixed-particle suspension, wherein said determining takes into account a shape of said metallic and nonmetallic particles and a shape factor of said metallic and nonmetallic particles is determined according to
• L
• =
• ln
• ⁡
• (
• l
• r
• )
• -
• 1
• (
• 1
• 2
• ⁢
• r
• )
• 2
• where l is a length of the metallic or nonmetallic particles and r is a radius of the metallic or nonmetallic particles;
• applying said spatially-gradient and time-varying electric field to said input flow of said mixed-particle fluid suspension in said single input channel to impose said dielectrophoretic forces on said metallic and nonmetallic particles in said mixed-particle fluid suspension;
• and
• collecting a metallic-particle rich fluid suspension from said first output channel and a nonmetallic-particle rich fluid suspension from said second output channel,
• wherein said spatially-gradient and time-varying electric field is further determined to have a time variation such that a dielectrophoretic force imposed on said metallic particles is different from a dielectrophoretic force imposed on said nonmetallic particles, and
• wherein said spatially-gradient and time-varying electric field is determined to have a time variation of at least 150 MHz.