Electroosmotic Flow Research Articles

Electroosmotic and Gyrotactic Microorganisms Effects on MHD Al2O3-Cu/Blood Hybrid Nanofluid Flow through Multi-Stenosed Bifurcated Artery.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the electroosmotic flow of a hybrid nanofluid (Al2O3-Cu/Blood) with gyrotactic microorganisms through a bifurcated artery with mild stenosis in both parent and daughter arteries. The flow is subjected to a uniform magnetic field, viscous dissipation, and a heat source. The governing equations undergo the non-dimensional transformation and coordinate conversion to regularize irregular boundaries, then solve the resulting system using the Crank-Nicolson method. In both sections of the bifurcated artery (parent and daughter artery), the wall shear stress (WSS) profile decreases with increasing stenotic depth. Nusselt profile increases with an increase in the heat source parameter. The present endeavour can be beneficial for designing better biomedical devices and gaining insight into the hemodynamic flow for therapeutic applications in the biomedical sciences.

Proton Transport, Electroosmotic Drag and Oxygen Permeation in Polytetrafluoroethylene Reinforced Ionomer Membranes and Their Effects on Fuel Cell Performance

Abstract With the increasing need for high power density of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, new composite membranes have been explored for superior proton transport and gas impermeability. These membranes’ physicochemical properties usually deviate from existing empirical formulas, which are poorly understood, especially when mechanical deformation occurs. This poor understanding hinders development of novelty membranes and their fuel cell applications. Here, using polytetrafluoroethylene reinforced ionomer membrane as an example, we conducted extensive water absorption experiments to determine hydration levels at different water activities. Molecular dynamics simulations and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to investigate the impacts of hydration level, external electric field strength, and tensile deformation on proton transport and electroosmotic drag coefficient, as well as the impact of hydration level and free volume ratio on oxygen permeability. We proposed mathematical correlations for these impacts and incorporated them into a single-cell voltage model to analyze their effects on fuel cell performance. Results show that an increase in the electric field strength alters the proton transport pattern, but has minimal impact on the electro-osmosis coefficient. The oxygen permeability coefficient of a deformed membrane with a free volume ratio of 28.57% is more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of a non-deformed membrane. The electro-osmatic drag coefficient imposes a larger influence on fuel cell performance than oxygen permeability

Numerical Approach for Induced MHD Sutterby Fluid Flow with Electro-osmosis's function for chemical reaction and heat dissipation across the Wedge

The primary focus of this article is on an electro-osmosis-based interpretation of the two-dimensional movement of an incompressible Sutterby nanofluid flow across a stretching wedge-shaped geometry. Thermal dissipation, double diffusivity, concentration and momentum association are also incorporated. Nanofluids are expected to improve the ability of heat-transfer fluids to convey heat more efficiently. Because the dimensionless equations related to our work are difficult to solve manually, we employ the MATLAB bvp4c technique to depict the graphical behavior of various parameters. The primary inquiry is that electro-osmosis causes a decrease in fluid velocity. The velocity field descends by an increment of the viscosity and magnetic field parameters but escalates against the inclined magnetic field parameter. The radiation variable parameter surges the temperature field while de-escalating the concentration and double diffusivity profile. Our investigation shows that the Brownian and thermophoresis diffusion coefficients encounter temperature increases at first, then slow down as both parameters are extended farther. The repercussion of an Inclined magnetic field is demarcated that how the occupancy of an Inclined magnetic field factor delays the velocity of Sutterby fluid. Electro-osmotic flow is a prevalent technology used in the chemical evaluationand microfluidic devices with high-voltage surfaces.

Stability analysis of electro-osmotic flow in a rotating microchannel

We investigate the linear stability analysis of rotating electro-osmotic flow in confined and unconfined configurations by appealing to the Debye–Hückel approximation. Pertaining to flow in confined and unconfined domains, the stability equations are solved using the Galerkin method to obtain the stability picture. Both qualitative and quantitative aspects of Ekman spirals are examined in stable and unstable scenarios within the unconfined domain. Within the confined domain, the variation of the real growth rate and the transition to instability are analysed using the modified Routh–Hurwitz criteria, employed for the first time in this context. The stability of the underlying flow, characterized by the number of roots with a positive real part, is determined by establishing a Routhian table. The inferences of this analysis show that the velocity plane produces intriguing closed Ekman spirals, which diminish in size with an increase in the rotation speed $\omega$ . The Ekman spirals in the stable region exhibit a distinct discontinuity, indicating the dissipation of disturbances over time. In the confined domain, the flow appears consistently stable for a set of involved parameters pertinent to this analysis, such as electrokinetic parameter $K=1.5$ and rotational parameter $\omega$ approximately up to $6$ . However, the flow instabilities become evident for $K=1.5$ and $\omega \geq 6$ .

A Light-Powered Micropump with Dynamic Collective Behavior for Reparation.

Inspired by the collective behaviors of active systems in nature, the collective behavior of micromotors has attracted more and more attention in recent years. However, little attention has been paid to the collective behavior of the immobilized micromotor, i.e., the micropump. In this paper, a unique pentacene-based micropump is reported, which demonstrates dynamic collective behavior activated by white light irradiation. The light irradiation may generate the photochemical reactions between pentacene and water, leading to the electroosmotic flow. As a result, this micropump is capable of pumping the surrounding solution inward along the substrate surface based on the electroosmosis mechanism. Intriguingly, the inward pumping causes the agglomeration of the tracer particles on the surface of the micropump. In addition, the aggregation can migrate following the change in the light irradiation position between two adjacent micropumps. Based on the aggregating and migrating behaviors of this pentacene-based micropump, we have achieved the conductivity restoration of the cracked circuit.

Electroosmotic microchannel flow of blood conveying copper and cupric nanoparticles: Ciliary motion experiencing entropy generation using backpropagated networks

AbstractA novel mathematical model for a hybrid (Cu–CuO/blood) Jeffrey nanofluid passing a vertical symmetric microchannel along with an electroosmosis pump is presented. The focuses on the advancement of mathematical modeling techniques, its comprehensive analysis of microfluidic system dynamics, and its potential to inform the optimal design of devices using nanofluids with broad applications in various fields. Arrhenius's law is used to analyze endothermic–exothermic reactions and activation energy. The governing partial differential equations of the fixed frame are transformed into ordinary differential equations of the wave frame using self‐similarity transformations. Low Reynolds number and long‐wavelength approximations helped to find solutions of the equations by applying a suitable BVP solver in MATLAB. The fluid's velocity, temperature, concentration, and electroosmosis properties are studied graphically. Two‐dimensional contour plots of fluid velocity and three‐dimensional surface plots of fluid properties are discussed. Physically significant quantities of mass transfer rate, skin friction coefficient, entropy generation, and heat transfer rate are studied using contour plots. Artificial neural network simulation using Bayesian regularization backpropagation algorithms is analyzed for training state, error histogram, fit, performance, and regression plots. Conclusively, the comprehensive analysis of the fluid dynamics, entropy generation, mass and heat transfer, and in the microchannel, coupled with the successful implementation of artificial neural network simulation, contributes to an improved understanding of the system's behavior. Entropy generation was raised for enhanced Brownian motion number and reduced values of thermophoresis, activation energy, and endothermic–exothermic reaction parameters. This study's results can be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of microfluidic devices used in fields as diverse as electrical cooling and medicine delivery.

Modeling water transport in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers using a one-dimensional transport model

In this paper, we present a one-dimensional transport model for water transport across Nafion® membranes in a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. This physics-based model is based on the three main water transport mechanisms: diffusion, electro-osmotic drag, and pressure-driven flow. A good agreement is obtained between the model predictions using the measured values of the physical parameters as inputs and the previously reported experimental data. Further, with the help of this simple transport model, the numerical analysis is performed to delineate the effect of electrolyzer operating conditions on the net water transport across the membrane, water condensation at the cathode, individual contribution of the transport fluxes, and electrolyzer design. Finally, the model is exercised to simulate the dependence of water transport as a function of membrane thickness. This confirms the validity of the current approach of using thin reinforced membranes by electrolyzer fabricators.

Confined Transport Behavior of Biomolecules within Tilted Nanopores.

The transport behavior of biomolecules at the confined nanoscale is very different from that of the bulk state. Numerous disease diagnostics and targeted drug treatments are performed based on nanochannels in cells. The specific structure and shape of nanochannels play an important role in the behavior and efficiency of substance transport. In this paper, we fabricated nanopores with different tilt angles and the same diameters using focused ion beam. The capture frequency and the blocking current amplitude of λ-DNA within large-angle nanopores decrease obviously, suggesting an increase in the energy barrier of large-angle nanopores and the fact that they stretch biomolecules to thinness. Most importantly, large-angle nanopores slow down λ-DNA transport by 2-4 times. MD simulations find that the sloped electroosmotic flow inside the tilted nanopores is the main factor contributing to the transport phenomena. The increase in the capture time of biomolecules by nanopores assists in obtaining more biological information from the current trajectories. Our study provides a new understanding of substance transport in specially shaped nanopores, which can be instrumental in providing fresh inspiration and approaches to the biomedical field.

A theoretical analysis of rotating electromagnetohydrodynamic and electroosmotic transport of couple stress fluid through a microchannel

AbstractThe main motivation behind this research work is the electroosmotic flow (EOF), which characterizes the movement of charged particles in a fluid when subjected to an external electric field, which offers precise control over fluid movement without mechanical components. The study of bio‐fluids in rotating microfluidic platforms is becoming much more significant. Hence, it is important to discuss the non‐Newtonian fluids in such environments. This paper analytically investigates the hydrodynamic characteristics of combined electromagnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) and EOF transport of non‐Newtonian fluid through a rotating microchannel with Navier‐slip boundary conditions at the walls. The couple stress fluid model is considered a non‐Newtonian fluid in the flow domain. The linearized Poisson‐Boltzmann equation is considered inside the electric double layer (EDL). The modified Stokes equation is governed by a combined imposed magnetic and EOF field. Closed form expressions are obtained for electrical potential, flow velocity, and volume flow rate in the channel using analytical methods. The dependence of rotating electromagnetic flow velocity and flow rates on appropriate parameters is explained. It is found that the rotational flow velocity displays an opposite pattern when the couple stress parameter and electric field intensity parameters are varied due to the influence of channel rotation. It is also found that the secondary flow rate ratio is amplified with the Hartmann number and slip length parameter, due to the stronger impact of the non‐Newtonian behaviour than the Newtonian situation on the volume flow rate at a relatively higher rotational value. The findings of this study may aid in the design and analysis of practical thermal micro/nano‐equipment for transporting biofluids.

Computational study of non-Newtonian electro-osmotic flow between micro-parallel plates subject to Joule heating and exothermic reactions

Computational study of non-Newtonian electro-osmotic flow between micro-parallel plates subject to Joule heating and exothermic reactions

Interplay of electrokinetic effects in nonpolar solvents for electronic paper displays

HypothesisElectronic paper displays rely on electrokinetic effects in nonpolar solvents to drive the displacement of colloidal particles within a fluidic cell. While Electrophoresis (EP) is a well-established and frequently employed phenomenon, electro-osmosis (EO), which drives fluid flow along charged solid surfaces, has not been studied as extensively. We hypothesize that by exploiting the interplay between these effects, an enhanced particle transport can be achieved. ExperimentsIn this study, we experimentally investigate the combined effects of EP and EO for colloidal particles in non-polar solvents, driven by an electric field. We use astigmatism micro-particle tracking velocimetry (A-μPTV) to measure the motion of charged particles within model fluidic cells. Using a simple approach that relies on basic fluid flow properties we extract the contributions due to EP and EO, finding that EO contributes significantly to particle transport. The validity of our approach is confirmed by measurements on particles with different magnitudes of charge, and by comparison to numerical simulations. FindingsWe find that EO flows can play a dominant role in the transport of particles in electrokinetic display devices. This can be exploited to speed up particle transport, potentially yielding displays with significantly faster switching times.

Investigating cationic and zwitterionic successive multiple ionic-polymer layer coatings for protein separation by capillary electrophoresis

Successive multiple ionic-polymer layers (SMILs) have long since proved their worth in capillary electrophoresis as they ensure stable electroosmotic flow (EOF) and relatively high separation efficiency. Recently, we demonstrated that plotting the plate height (H) against the solute migration velocity (u) enabled a reliable quantitative evaluation of the coating performances in terms of separation efficiency. In this work, various physicochemical and chemical parameters of the SMIL coating were studied and optimized in order to decrease the slope of the ascending part of the H vs u curve, which is known to be controlled by the homogeneity in charge of the coating surface and by the possible residual solute adsorption onto the coating surface. SMILs based on poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) (PSS) were formed and the effect of each polyelectrolyte molar mass and of the number of polyelectrolyte layers (up to 21 layers) was studied. The use of polyethylene imine as an anchoring first layer was considered. More polyelectrolyte couples based on PDADMAC, polybrene, PSS, poly(vinyl sulfate), and poly(acrylic acid) were tested. Finally, zwitterionic polymers based on the poly(α-l-lysine) scaffold were synthesized and used as the last layer of SMILs, illustrating their ability to finetune the EOF, while maintaining good separation efficiency.

Electro-osmotic peristaltic flow of non-Newtonian Sutterby TiO2 nanofluid inside a microchannel through porous medium with modified Darcy’s law

The primary aim of this study was to examine the peristaltic flow of an unsteady non-Newtonian TiO2 nanofluid through a uniformly symmetric channel under the influence of electro-osmosis. The fluid behavior was modeled by the Sutterby model. Furthermore, the flow took place through a porous medium, following a modified form of Darcy’s law. Additionally, the impacts of Dufour and Soret effects, chemical reaction, activation energy, viscous dissipation, heat generation, and thermal radiation were considered. A wave transformation was used to simplify the governing equations describing the velocity, temperature, and nanoparticle concentration. These simplified equations were then solved analytically using the homotopy perturbation method. Additionally, set figures were employed to illustrate and discuss the impact of the physical parameters involved in the problem on the obtained solutions. It is found that the presence of a modified Darcy’s medium in the Navier–Stokes equation results in a porous term that is dependent on the index of the Sutterby model. Furthermore, it is found that as the thermophoresis parameter increases, the nanoparticles are more concentrated, and their flow from the hot region to the cold region is more effective. Additionally, it is observed that in the presence of thermal radiation, the activation energy and the Brownian motion parameter have similar effects on the concentration profile.

Numerical entropy analysis of MHD electro-osmotic flow of peristaltic movement in a nanofluid

The present study investigates the MHD electro-osmotic flow of entropy generation analysis for peristaltic movement in a nanofluid with temperature-dependent viscosity. Long wavelengths, i.e., The magnitude of a wave's energy corresponds directly to its frequency while being inversely related to its wavelength in terms of velocity, temperature, and concentration, govern and confine the flow stream in the laminar region. Ohmic heating and hall effects are also included. Graphs are used to obtain and examine numerical solutions for axial velocity, temperature, concentration, Bejan number, and entropy generation. The effects of this research can help to improve pumping and gastrointestinal movements in different engineering devices. Debye–Huckel and lubrication approximations are studied to access the Boltzmann distribution of electric potential across an electric double layer. The investigations of an existing model are important in illuminating the microfluidics machinery used at the micro level for various transport phenomena in which fluids as well as particles are transported together. The current study has many applications and can be further extended to a three-dimensional profile with appropriate modifications and assumptions. When studying entropy generation, it is essential to examine the irreversible factors, while also taking into account the velocity and thermal slip conditions at channel boundaries. Moreover, the concept of entropy generation holds significant importance in comprehending various biological phenomena. Hence, the current research holds promising implications for both industrial and medical fields. The entropy generation is minimum at left wall of the channel for negative values of Helmholtz-Smoluchowski velocity.

Electro-osmotic flow in nanoconfinement: Solid-state and protein nanopores.

Electro-osmotic flow (EOF) is a phenomenon where fluid motion occurs in porous materials or micro/nano-channels when an external electric field is applied. In the particular example of single-molecule electrophoresis using single nanopores, the role of EOF on the translocation velocity of the analyte molecule through the nanopore is not fully understood. The complexity arises from a combination of effects from hydrodynamics in restricted environments, electrostatics emanating from charge decorations and geometry of the pores. We address this fundamental issue using the Poisson-Nernst-Planck and Navier-Stokes (PNP-NS) equations for cylindrical solid-state nanopores and three representative protein nanopores (α-hemolysin, MspA, and CsgG). We present the velocity profiles inside the nanopores as a function of charge decoration and geometry of the pore and applied electric field. We report several unexpected results: (a) The apparent charges of the protein nanopores are different from their net charge and the surface charge of the whole protein geometry, and the net charge of inner surface is consistent with the apparent charge. (b) The fluid velocity depends non-monotonically on voltage. The three protein nanopores exhibit unique EOF and velocity-voltage relations, which cannot be simply deduced from their net charge. Furthermore, effective point mutations can significantly change both the direction and the magnitude of EOF. The present computational analysis offers an opportunity to further understand the origins of the speed of transport of charged macromolecules in restricted space and to design desirable nanopores for tuning the speed of macromolecules through nanopores.

Effect of electroosmotic and hydraulic flow on the desalination of soils

Effect of electroosmotic and hydraulic flow on the desalination of soils

Protein Deceleration and Sequencing Using Si3N4-CNT Hybrid Nanopores.

Protein sequencing is crucial for understanding the complex mechanisms driving biological functions and is of utmost importance in molecular diagnostics and medication development. Nanopores have become an effective tool for single molecule sensing, however, the weak charge and non-uniform charge distribution of protein make capturing and sensing very challenging, which poses a significant obstacle to the development of nanopore-based protein sequencing. In this study, to facilitate capturing of the unfolded protein, highly charged peptide was employed in our simulations, we found that the velocity of unfolded peptide translocating through a hybrid nanopore composed of silicon nitride membrane and carbon nanotube is much slower compared to bare silicon nitride nanopore, it is due to the significant interaction between amino acids and the surface of carbon nanotube. Moreover, by introducing variations in the charge states at the boundaries of carbon nanotube nanopores, the competition and combination of the electrophoretic and electroosmotic flows through the nanopores could be controlled, we then successfully regulated the translocation velocity of unfolded proteins through the hybrid nanopores. The proposed hybrid nanopore effectively retards the translocation velocity of protein through it, facilitates the acquisition of ample information for accurate amino acid identification.

Analytical solutions for viscoelectric effects in electrokinetic nanochannels.

Understanding electrokinetic transport in nanochannels and nanopores is essential for emerging biological and electrochemical applications. The viscoelectric effect is an important mechanism implicated in the increase of local viscosity due to the polarization of a solvent under a strong electric field. However, most analyses of the viscoelectric effect have been limited to numerical analyses. In this work, we present a set of analytical solutions applicable to the physical description of viscoelectric effects in nanochannel electrokinetic systems. To achieve such closed-form solutions, we employ the Debye-Hückel approximation of small diffuse charge layer potentials compared to the thermal potential. We analyze critical parameters, including electroosmotic flow profiles, electroosmotic mobility, flow rate, and channel conductance. We compare and benchmark our analytical solutions with published predictions from numerical models. Importantly, we leverage these analytical solutions to identify essential thermophysical and nondimensional parameters that govern the behavior of these systems. We identify scaling parameters and relations among surface charge density, ionic strength, and nanochannel height.

Nonsteady-State Electric Circuit in Electrophoresis on Paper: Thermal Consideration of Electrophoretic Lateral-Flow Assays.

Nonsteady-state behaviors are not expected in electric circuits that lack significant capacitance, inductivity, and/or active feedback. Here, we report that electrophoresis on paper─used, e.g., to electrophoretically driven lateral-flow immunoassays (LFIA)─can create a nonsteady-state electric circuit. We studied electrophoresis on 50 × 4 mm nitrocellulose membrane strips utilized in LFIA. The voltage was applied to strip termini immersed in reservoirs with a running buffer. If the electric power of this circuit exceeded approximately 0.5 W, neither the electric current nor the temperature map reached their steady states on a multiminute time scale. The current grew slowly to its maximum and then slowly decreased. The temperature map evolved slowly, with one or more hot spots appearing and disappearing gradually in different positions on the strip. The slow evolution of a temperature map led to the occurrence of a terminal hot spot in which the strip burned. No chaotic behavior was observed, i.e., time dependences of both the current and temperature map were reproducible. We analyzed major processes involved in paper-based electrophoresis and explained the nonsteady-state behavior. Unlike ordinary electric circuits with metal conductors, paper-based electrophoresis involves two slow processes: (i) intense buffer evaporation from hot spots and (ii) buffer supply from the reservoirs by an interplay of the capillary penetration and the electroosmotic flow. These processes affect heat generation and/or dissipation on the strip and, accordingly, the resistivity profile. The slow evolution of the resistivity profile is responsible for the nonsteady-state behavior. The results of our computer modeling support this explanation. The hot spots may have a destructive effect on electrophoretically driven LFIA. To avoid denaturation of immunoreagents, experimentalists should empirically confirm that spatiotemporal temperature maps are compatible with the developed assay.

Effect of experimental boundary conditions and treatment-time on the electro-desalination of soils.

This study investigates the effect of boundary conditions and treatment-time on the electro-desalination of artificially-contaminated soil. The effect of ion exchange membranes (IEM), calcium chloride (CaCl2), and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)on the removal of salt (i.e., Na+, Cl-, and Ca2+) and metal (i.e., Co2+ and Fe2+) ions from the soil by electrokinetic (EK) was studied. The outcomes demonstrate that an increase in treatment-time decreases the electroosmosis and ion removal rate, which might be attributed to the formation of acid-base fronts in soil, except in the IEM case. Because a high pH jump and electroosmotic flow (EOF) of water were not observed within the soil specimen due to the IEM, the removal of ions was only by diffusion and electromigration. The collision of acid-base fronts produced a large voltage gradient in a narrow soil region with a reduced electric field (EF) in its remaining parts, causing a decrease in EOF and ion transportby electromigration. The results showed that higher electroosmosis was observed by using CaCl2 and EDTA; thus, the removal rate of Co2+, Na+, and Ca2+ was greater than Cl- due to higher EOF. However, for relatively low EOF, the removal of Cl- exceeded that of Co2+, Na+, and Ca2+, possibly due to a lack of EOF. In addition, the adsorption of Fe2+ in soil increased with treatment-time due to the corrosion of the anode during all EK experiments except in the case of IEM, where an anion exchange membrane (AEM)was introduced at the anode-soil interface.