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Electrokinetic‐vortex formation near a two‐part cylinder with same‐sign zeta potentials in a straight microchannel
Author(s) -
Wang Chengfa,
Song Yongxin,
Pan Xinxiang
Publication year - 2020
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.201900474
Subject(s) - microchannel , cylinder , vortex , zeta potential , electric field , electrokinetic phenomena , mechanics , physics , optics , chemistry , materials science , nanotechnology , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , nanoparticle
Vortex formation near a two‐part cylinder with zeta potentials of different values but the same sign under an external DC electric field is numerically investigated in this paper. The cylinder, inserted in a straight microchannel filled with an aqueous solution, is composed of an upstream part and a downstream part. When a DC electric field is applied in the channel, under certain conditions, the vortex will form near the cylinder due to the different velocities of electroosmotic flow generated on the cylinder surface. The numerical results reveal that the larger the velocity difference of electroosmotic flow generated on the two‐part cylinder and the smaller the channel width, the more conducive to vortex formation in the channel. In addition, if the zeta potential ratios of cylinder downstream part to upstream part and channel wall to cylinder upstream part are unchanged, the DC electric field strength and the zeta potential value do not affect the pattern of vortices formed in the channel. This study provides a way for vortex formation in microchannels and has the potential application in microfluidic devices.