The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 19, 2019
Filed:
Nov. 01, 2017
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Stefan Fringes, Schwabhausen, DE;
Armin W. Knoll, Adliswil, CH;
Colin Rawlings, Adliswil, CH;
Christian Schwemmer, Zurich, CH;
Michael Skaug, Boulder, CO (US);
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention include a microfluidic device, which comprises a substrate with a channel defined therein, on an upper surface of the substrate, wherein a bottom wall of the channel comprises several contiguous steps having an asymmetric profile along a main direction of the channel, so as to form a ratchet topography. The device further comprises a lid, opposite to and at a distance from the upper surface of the substrate, so as to face the bottom wall of the channel. The bottom wall and the lid are designed to allow like sign charges to accumulate thereat, in presence of a polar liquid confined in the channel between the bottom wall and the lid, so as to allow displacement of nanoscale particles in the polar liquid, along said main direction of the channel, under application of an alternating force to said nanoscale particles, in operation of the device.