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Numerical studies of electrokinetic control of DNA concentration in a closed‐end microchannel
Author(s) -
Daghighi Yasaman,
Li Dongqing
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.200900447
Subject(s) - electrokinetic phenomena , microchannel , microfluidics , electrophoresis , electric field , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , electro osmosis , flow (mathematics) , electrode , mechanics , materials science , chromatography , nanotechnology , physics , quantum mechanics
A major challenge in lab‐on‐a‐chip devices is how to concentrate sample molecules from a dilute solution, which is critical to the effectiveness and the detection limit of on‐chip bio‐chemical reactions. A numerical study of sample concentration control by electrokinetic microfluidic means in a closed‐end microchannel is presented in this paper. The present method provides a simple and efficient way of concentration control by using electrokinetic trapping of a charged species of interest, controlling liquid flow and separating different sample molecules in the microchannel. The electrokinetic‐concentration process and the controlled transport of the sample molecules are numerically studied. In this system, in addition to the electroosmotic flow and the electrophoresis, the closed‐end of the chamber causes velocity variation at both ends of the channel and induces a pressure gradient and the associated fluid movement in the channel. The combined effects determine the final concentration field of the sample molecules. The influences of a number of parameters such as the channel dimensions, electrode size and the applied electric field are investigated.