Label-free cell sorting technology holds significant value in fundamental biomedical research and clinical precision diagnostics. However, existing dielectrophoresis sorting chips generally face the challenge of balancing high throughput with high resolution, while traditional metal electrodes are prone to bubble formation and sample contamination. To address these issues, this study proposes a ring-array dielectrophoresis microfluidic chip based on liquid electrodes. Through the synergistic design of semicircular flow channels and 36 circumferentially arranged liquid electrodes, the effective selection region of the electric field is significantly extended within the limited chip area, while a gradient electric field is formed along the flow direction, enabling continuous and dynamic deflection separation of particles of similar size. Key parameters such as voltage, frequency, and flow rate were optimized using a multiphysics simulation system, and the chip was fabricated via 3D printing. Fluorescent polystyrene microspheres of 5 μm and 15 μm were used to simulate non-target and target cells, respectively, and sorting experiments were conducted under various optimized parameter conditions. Compared to existing dielectrophoresis chips, this design maintains excellent resolution during high-throughput operations while fundamentally eliminating bubble formation and sample contamination caused by liquid electrodes, featuring a simple structure and convenient fabrication. This study provides a novel solution that balances performance and practicality for label-free, high-activity cell sorting, with subsequent efforts focused on validation with real-cell samples and exploration of integration with point-of-care diagnostic systems.
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