Electro-osmosis
Electro-osmosis (EO) refers to the fluid flow that occurs
when an electric field is applied to the electrical double layer (EDL),
an intrinsic property of a fluid-solid pair. This phenomenon has proven to have
significant practical importance for microfluidic applications. FLOW-3D enables
the modeling of combined pressure- and electro-osmotic-driven flows, with or without
a free surface, in one- or two-fluid configurations. Two examples are given here.
EO Schematic
Electro-osmosis applied
for use with micro-pumps
Micromixing
A non-uniform potential is created on the walls of a microchannel to induce a helical flow inside the channel. In the schematic (left), strips indicate where the potential is imposed. In the results from FLOW-3D, the mixing effect is seen, as the fluid stretches and folds (as indicated by marker particles).
Micro-pumps
By creating a series of deep slots in a microchannel, and then applying a potential across the channel, fluid flow can be controlled in a MEMS-scale pump. By adjusting the applied potential, the flow rate can be controlled. The image to the left demonstrates the application of electro-osmosis for use with micro-pumps.
Read more
in our Microfluidics Tech Papers