Electrohydrodynamic flow through a 1 mm(2) cross-section pore placed in an ion-exchange membrane.

Abstract

In recent years, the control of ionic currents has come to be recognized as one of the most important issues related to the efficient transport of single molecules and microparticles in aqueous solutions. However, the complicated liquid flows that are usually induced by applying electric potentials have made it difficult to address a number of unsolved problems in this area. In particular, the nonequilibrium phenomena that occur in electrically non-neutral fields must be more thoroughly understood. Herein, we report on the development of a theoretical model of liquid flows resulting from ion interactions while focusing on the so-called electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow. We also discuss the development of an experimental system to optically and electrically observe EHD flows using a 1 mm(2) cross-section pore placed in an ion-exchange membrane where cation and anion flows can be separated without the use of a charged environment. Although micro/nanosized flow channels are usually applied to induce electric double layer overlaps to utilize strong electroosmotic effects, our system does not require such laborious fabrication processes. Instead, we visualize EHD flows by using a millimeter size pore immersed in an alkaline aqueous solution. In this setup, liquid flows passing through the pore along the direction of ion flow, whose velocity reaches on the order of 1 mm/s, can be clearly observed by applying a few volts of electric potential. Furthermore, the transient phenomena associated with ionic responses are theoretically elucidated.