Contact Charge Electrophoresis for Powering Micro- and Nanotechnology
Kyle Bishop
The Pennsylvania State University
Abstract:Electric fields have long been used to manipulate colloidal matter (i.e., micro- and nanoscale particles, droplets, macromolecules) and to control its organization. This talk will describe a relatively new form of electric particle actuation called contactcharge electrophoresis (CCEP), in which a conductive object is first charged by contact with an electrode surface and then actuated by an externally applied electric field. Unlike common forms of electric actuation (e.g., dielectrophoresis), CCEP allows for rapid, sustained motion driven by low power DC voltages. As a result, this mechanism is well suited for powering the active components of mobile microfluidic technologies and may provide a basis for efficient, chemically-powered colloidal machines. This talk will describe our recent efforts to understand the fundamental physics underlying CCEP and its application within microfluidic systems.
Biosketch:
Kyle Bishop received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University (2009) under the guidance of Bartosz Grzybowski for his work on nanoscale forces in self-assembly. Following his PhD, Dr. Bishop was a post-doctoral fellow with George Whitesides at Harvard University, where he developed new strategies for manipulating flames with electric fields. In 2010, he joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Penn State University where he is currently an Assistant Professor. Dr. Bishop is the co-author of more than 50 refereed publications and the recipient of the 3M Non-tenured Faculty award and the NSF CAREER award. His research seeks to discover, understand, and apply new strategies for organizing and directing colloidal matter through self-assembly and self-organization far-from-equilibrium.