Paul Kauffmann completed his thesis at Phelma-Grenoble INP Phelma-Grenoble INP under the joint supervision of Gilbert Reyne of the Grenoble Electrical Engineering Laboratory and Vincent Haguet of our laboratory. He will receive his prize on Tuesday, November 30.​

Diamagnetic levitation is one of the few phenomena that can remove bodies from gravity. While diamagnetic repulsion is negligible at our scale, it becomes significant at small dimensions, even leading to the levitation of diamagnetic micro-objects under certain conditions. Through the development of micro-magnets, numerical and analytical models and experimental realizations, this work explores the potential of diamagnetic levitation of micro-droplets and cell trapping in paramagnetic media. In particular, it demonstrates the possibility of accurately measuring the interaction between levitating charged drops. They also analyze the behavior of cells trapped in a paramagnetic environment.

This study opens up new prospects for cell sorting based on size, susceptibility and even endocytotic properties. Finally, the possibility of contactless actuation of microdroplets in air is explored by modeling an innovative system coupling dielectrophoresis with diamagnetic levitation.