Magnetic fluid manipulators and methods for their use

1. A device for sorting non-magnetic particles, the device comprising:

(a) a fluid holding chamber comprising an inner and outer surface;

(b) a fluid in contact with the inner surface of the fluid holding chamber, said fluid containing a dispersion of magnetic particles and at least two sets of non-magnetic particles; and

(c) at least two sources of magnetic fields positioned in close proximity to, or inside of, the fluid holding chamber which produce a changeable pattern of magnetic field minima and maxima regions thereby causing said non-magnetic particles in the fluid to be transported towards the magnetic field minima regions by magnetic force, wherein at least one of said sources of magnetic fields comprises an array of magnetizable features on a micrometer or nanometer length scale, and further wherein at least one of said sources of magnetic fields comprises a time-varying magnetic field supplied by a source held external to said fluid holding chamber.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said inner surface of said fluid holding chamber further comprises channels.

3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising an array of different molecules attached to the inner surface of the fluid holding chamber.

4. The device of claim 1 , further comprising an array of different nanoparticles or microparticles attached to the inner surface of the fluid holding chamber.

5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor attached to the inner surface of the fluid holding chamber.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of: optical, electrical, electrochemical, and magnetic sensors.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic particles dispersed in the fluid comprise one or more selected from the group consisting of: magnetic nanoparticles, paramagnetic ions, or molecular magnets.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the magnetic nanoparticles comprise iron, iron-oxide, iron-platinum, cobalt, nickel, a rare-earth metal or another ahoy forming ferromagnetic, or a ferrimagnetic or superparamagnetic material, or any combination thereof.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the magnetic nanoparticles have a surface covered by molecules that provide steric or ionic hinderance in order to prevent irreversible aggregation of the magnetic nanoparticles in the fluid.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetizable features are patterned on top of the inner surface of the fluid holding chamber.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetizable features are embedded inside of the inner surface of the fluid holding chamber.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetizable features are attached to mobile supports that can be submerged in the fluid.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the patterns of the magnetizable field sources are changed by applying an additional time-varying source of substantially uniform magnetic field.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sources of magnetic fields comprise an array of conductors and a means for switching or varying electrical current in said conductors.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetizable features have a shape selected from the group consisting of: circular and rectangular.