Simulation Study on the Controllable Dielectrophoresis Parameters of Graphene

The method of using dielectrophoresis (DEP) to assemble graphene between micro-electrodes has been proven to be simple and efficient. We present an optimization method for the kinetic formula of graphene DEP, and discuss the simulation of the graphene assembly process based on the finite element method. The simulated results illustrate that the accelerated motion of graphene is in agreement with the distribution of the electric field squared gradient. We also conduct research on the controllable parameters of the DEP assembly such as the alternating current (AC) frequency, the shape of micro-electrodes, and the ratio of the gap between electrodes to the characteristic/geometric length of graphene (\lambda). The simulations based on the Clausius–Mossotti factor reveal that both graphene velocity and direction are influenced by the AC frequency. When graphene is close to the electrodes, the shape of micro-electrodes will exert great influence on the velocity of graphene. Also, \lambda has a great influence on the velocity of graphene. Generally, the velocity of graphene would be greater when \lambda is in the range of 0.4–0.6. The study is of a theoretical guiding significance in improving the precision and efficiency of the graphene DEP assembly.