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Magnetic control of graphitic microparticles in aqueous solutions

Nguyen, J; Conca, DV; Stein, J; Bovo, L; Howard, CA; Llorente Garcia, I; (2019) Magnetic control of graphitic microparticles in aqueous solutions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) , 116 (7) pp. 2425-2434. 10.1073/pnas.1817989116. Green open access

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Abstract

Graphite is an inexpensive material with useful electrical, magnetic, thermal, and optical properties. It is also biocompatible and used universally as a substrate. Micrometer-sized graphitic particles in solution are therefore ideal candidates for novel lab-on-a-chip and remote manipulation applications in biomedicine, biophysics, chemistry, and condensed-matter physics. However, submerged graphite is not known to be amenable to magnetic manipulation, the optimal manipulation method for such applications. Here, we exploit the diamagnetism of graphite and demonstrate contactless magnetic positioning control of graphitic microflakes in diamagnetic aqueous solutions. We develop a theoretical model for magnetic manipulation of graphite microflakes and demonstrate experimentally magnetic transport of such particles over distances [Formula: see text] with peak velocities [Formula: see text] in inhomogeneous magnetic fields. We achieve fully biocompatible transport for lipid-coated graphite in NaCl aqueous solution, paving the way for previously undiscovered biomedical applications. Our results prove that micrometer-sized graphite can be magnetically manipulated in liquid media.

Type: Article
Title: Magnetic control of graphitic microparticles in aqueous solutions
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1817989116
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1817989116
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2019 the Author(s). Published by PNAS. This open access article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY).
Keywords: HOPG, diamagnetic manipulation, label-free magnetic transport, magnetophoresis, submerged micrographite
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10066514
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