Separation and Manipulation of Rare-earth Oxide Particles by Dielectrophoresis

A challenge in chemical engineering is the separation and purification of rare-earth elements and their compounds. We report the design and manufacture of a dielectrophoresis (DEP) microchip of microelectrode arrays. This microchip device is constructed in order to use DEP to capture micro-particles of rare-earth oxides in petroleum. Dielectrophoretic behavior of micro-particles of rare-earth oxides in oil media is explored. The dielectrophoretic effects of particles under different conditions are investigated. It is showed that the prepared microchip is suitable for use in the investigation of dielectrophoretic responses of the rare-earth oxides in oil media. The factors such as frequency, particle size and valence of rare-earth metal are discussed. When the frequency is fixed, the translation voltage decreases as particle size increases. Lower frequencies are more effective for manipulation of inorganic particles in oil media. Particles of the same rare-earth oxide with different size, as well as particles of different rare-earth oxides, are captured in different regions of the field by regulating DEP conditions. This may be a new method for separation and purification of particles of different rare-earth oxides, as well as classification of particles with different size.