Continuous-flow electrical lysis device with integrated control by dielectrophoretic cell sortingElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Three images and two movies showing cell sorting without and after lysis. See DOI: 10.1039/c000977f

We present a device capable of electrical cell lysis and evaluation of lysis efficiency in continuous flow using dielectrophoretic cell sorting. We use a combination of AC electrical fields and so-called liquid electrodes to avoid bubble creation at the electrode surface. The electrical field distribution is calculated in different electrode configurations by numerical simulations. Cell sorting shows high lysis efficiency, 99% of yeast cells sorted after lysis featuring dielectric properties similar to dead cells. A study of the potential device throughput is performed. We present a novel microfluidic device, featuring the combination of electrical lysis and control of lysis efficiency by dielectrophoretic cell sorting in continuous flow, both using an innovative electrode design called "liquid electrodes".