Manipulation of graphitic microparticles in solution with magnetic and electric fields

Contactless manipulation methods for individual microparticles in solution are essential for the controlled study on the microscopic scale. Microparticles derived from graphitic materials, in particular, are of great interest due to their unique material properties. However to date, the manipulation methods for such particles remain widely unexplored. This thesis presents the rst research on the particle manipulation of graphitic microparticles in a diamagnetic solution with electric and magnetic elds. The results show that the particles can be rotationally trapped on a well-de ned plane with a combination of an alternating current electric eld and a static magnetic eld. Furthermore, particle transport and three-dimensional particle trapping can be achieved with static magnetic elds. This research shows that the unique electrical and magnetic properties of graphitic microparticles can lead to novel particle manipulation methods in solution which can be attractive for applications in many areas of research