Electroosmosis in homogeneously charged micro- and nanoscale random porous media

Abstract

Electroosmosis in homogeneously charged micro- and nanoscale random porous media has been numerically investigated using mesoscopic simulation methods which involve a random generation-growth method for reproducing three-dimensional random microstructures of porous media and a high-efficiency lattice Poisson–Boltzmann algorithm for solving the strongly nonlinear governing equations of electroosmosis in three-dimensional porous media. The numerical modeling and predictions of EOF in micro- and nanoscale random porous media indicate that the electroosmotic permeability increases monotonically with the porosity of porous media and the increasing rate rises with the porosity as well; the electroosmotic permeability increases with the average solid particle size for a given porosity and with the bulk ionic concentration also; the proportionally linear relationship between the electroosmotic permeability and the zeta potential on solid surfaces breaks down for high zeta potentials. The present predictions agree well with the available experimental data while some results deviate from the predictions based on the macroscopic theories.