Electromagnetic micromotor for microfluidics applications

An electromagnetic micromotor has been developed that combines microcoils and magnetic microtips as stator elements and individual permanent magnet single domain particles as rotors. The three-phase stator microcoils (with poles separated by 100 mum) are positioned outside the fluid, and the rotor (a 40 mum long, 1 mum diam permanent magnet) spins in aqueous solution 50 mum from the stator. The small size and essentially disposable rotors make the magnetic micromotor attractive for use in microfluidics systems for various physical, chemical, and biological applications. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.