Colloidal inclusions in lab-on-a-chip devices can be used to perform analytic operations in a non-invasive fashion. We demonstrate here a novel approach to realize fast and reversible micro-sieving operations by manipulating and transporting colloidal chains via mobile domain walls in a magnetic structured substrate. We show that this technique allows to precisely move and sieve non-magnetic particles, to tweeze microscopic cargos or to mechanically compress highly dense colloidal monolayers.
@article{arxiv.1601.01030,
title = {Functional colloidal micro-sieves assembled and guided above a channel-free magnetic striped film},
author = {Fernando Martinez-Pedrero and Arthur V. Straube and Tom H. Johansen and Pietro Tierno},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1601.01030},
year = {2016}
}