Long-range transport of magnetic microbeads using simple planar coils placed in a uniform magnetostatic field

We propose an approach for magnetic microbead transport in microfluidic channels over long-range distances using an array of simple planar coils. The latter are placed in a uniform static magnetic field, the role of which is to impose a permanent magnetic moment to the microbeads. The very small magnetic field gradient of a simple planar coil is then sufficient to displace the microbeads. The long-range displacement is assured by arranging adjacent coils in the array with spatial overlap in a three-phase actuation scheme. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.