Yes, ordinary matter can't be controlled by eletrical or magnetic fields. 

You have a cylindrical container, with two different gases on either side, separated by a glass. Now let's replace the glass separator for something that would ionize the gas, before subjecting it to electrical and magnetic fields that would keep them on either side of the container.

This is a series of ideas intended to make Star Trek shields, direct manipulation of matter using energy.

[About the illustration: it shows a Star Trek-like shield covering a portal. It is a barrier raised in thin air within seconds. A person trying to get to the other side, while the shields are up, would not get through].